Exhibitor Tips

Exhibitor Tips, Market-Entry

SelectUSA 2022 Preparation A Visit with Stephen Cheung, Los Angeles County EDC and WTC Los Angeles

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Link to podcast found HERE Transcript to podcast found below: Bill : Hi, and welcome to the next episode of belly to belly and today we’re going to talk about preparing for select USA. And we’re joined by Stephen Cheung from the LA Economic Development Corporation. So welcome Steven. Steven : Thank you so much for having me, Bill. Bill : It’s wonderful to have you and so, you know, LA, DC does so much great work to help drive the Los Angeles economy. You have a particular effort to help international companies coming into the LA region. Can you talk through some of the services that you offer to companies coming into the US and particularly LA? Steven : Sure. When people look at Los Angeles, sometimes they are overwhelmed by our size, especially international companies that when they think of Los Angeles, they usually think of Hollywood, Hollywood traffic and Hollywood. And what they don’t realize is that we’re home to about 10 point 2 million people just in LA County alone, and they’re at different cities within Los Angeles County. Most most folks when they think of Los Angeles they think of one city Los Angeles City, which is a great city of 4 million people but they already know about other great cities like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena combined together, you have 10 point 2 million consumers located in one single location and our industry so so diverse. Were the really international trade center when it comes to trade and logistics because we have the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach and number one, the number two container ports in North America. We have a huge aerospace and defense sector, bioscience sectors, clean tech sector, all these other sectors that folks don’t know about. That’s our job with LA, DC. We help them understand the markets that they can go into, and also the complexities between all the various jurisdictions and the municipalities. So between the world trade and Los Angeles as well as the LA, DC, which by the way, the World Trade Center is a component of LA, DC where the international trade arm of LA, DC combined together we provide education information that’s necessary for these international companies to understand how to do business in Los Angeles, and we connect them to our partners so in short, our motto is very simple. We attract, we educate and we connect, we attract the types of companies we want to bring to La we have to understand Los Angeles and then we connect them with the right partners so that they can be successful and entering the markets. Bill : Oh, that’s brilliant, what a great summary and you know, thinking about the companies that are listening to our podcasts, you know, they’re really interested in understanding the US and sort of so many is, you know, think of San Francisco and they think, you know, Silicon Valley, and they think of New York, and so giving them exposure to you know, all the other great regions of the country and certainly LA is just a massive opportunity with such a great intermodal port and all the all the wonderful high tech industries that are there, um, you know, select USA, you know, LA EDC has been participating in for years, what it can you know, again, thinking of our audience, what is it that you particularly find attractive about Select USA in terms of connecting with companies? Steven : Well, it’s a great location, a great forum for us to be able to meet international participants from all over the world, not just the companies but also their government representatives as well. At the same time it becomes a very great forum for us to meet other EDOS around the nation to see how we can best learn from each other. There are a lot of synergies that are there that sometimes because of a geographical location, we’re not able to connect as closely and sometimes we see that we’re aligned. For example, we actually worked very closely with our friends over in San Francisco and San Diego, but usually, we don’t really get a chance to work with our California partners, except that Select USA. So this is both an opportunity for us to work with domestically as well as internationally to make sure that we’re connecting with the right partners to plan out our strategies and our work for the next few years. Bill : Oh, that’s really cool. And I’m thinking about Select USA. One of the features that many companies may not know about are their spin off events and you’re hosting a spin off event. Do you want to give us some highlights as to kind of when your spin off event is and what some of the features and who should be coming to your spin off event? Steven : Sure. We’ve actually been doing this enough events for many many years now and this partnership with Select USA and what we want to do at the beginning when we first created this spin off events about seven years ago as really highlights the importance of attending Select USA, and we saw that a lot of our partners that are coming into the United States to go to Select USA will have to transfer planes anyways and most of them are actually doing it at LA. So why not create a separate event that is free actually to all international visitors coming to Los Angeles so that we could becomes an additional incentive for them to go to Select USA. So we work with a Select USA team as well as Department of Commerce to ensure that we attract the right types of companies that are wanting to learn about the Los Angeles market. And our select LA Investment Summit this year is going to be on June 22 And June 23

Exhibitor Tips, Market-Entry

SelectUSA 2022 Preparation: A Visit with Ryan Combs, Research Triangle Regional Partnership

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Link to podcast found HERE Transcript to podcast found below: Bill : Hi and welcome to belly to belly and today we are going to talk about Select USA 2022 preparation, and we’re joined by Ryan Coombs from the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, which is a mouthful. Ryan, welcome. How are you today? Ryan : I’m great. Thanks. It’s so nice to be with you today, Bill. Bill : It’s great to have you. And so, you know, I think our audience is, as I mentioned, they’re from all over the world. They’re looking to expand into the US and we’re really trying to provide them with some highlights of really good connections that they can make while they’re at select USA and I know you’ve been pre connect so that their time at select USA is more productive. So maybe you could take us through a little bit about what your organization does to help companies entering the US and specifically into the Research Triangle Park area. Ryan : Sure. So as you mentioned, I’m the executive director of the Research Triangle regional partnership. North Carolina is comprised of 100 counties, and I represent 12 of those counties. We’re one of the fastest growing regions in the country. We’ve got about 2 million residents in our region alone. North Carolina has 10 and a half million residents and my job really is to go out and promote the Triangle region and attract investment back to the region. And so when companies come, one of the things I do is I play the connector role and my job is to help. I know when companies are looking at the United States are overwhelmed with the size of the country, and they’re really nervous about what makes sense. Where should we go? They know the larger markets, they know New York, they know Boston, they know San Francisco and LA, but there’s so much more to the United States. And so my job is really to expose them to the strengths of our region and shrink the country and make them feel welcome and let them see that they can do everything they need to do business wise here in the Triangle region. Bill : Yeah, that’s fantastic. And certainly, you guys have just been burgeoning in terms of growth of so many different industries. And you know, thinking about Select USA and obviously you’ve been involved for years. Why are some of the what is it about Select USA really attract to and and, and, you know, helps in terms of your connection to companies coming in from overseas? Ryan : Well, the US Commercial Service does a really good job of promoting Select USA internationally and we see lots and lots of investment coming overseas, especially from Europe, a lot of investment from Europe. And so select USA really is a great opportunity for companies to come learn how to do business in the United States. But it’s also a great opportunity for organizations like mine, to be exposed to a lot of companies in a short period. of time in one location in Washington DC. Bill : That’s, that’s perfect. So, you know, thinking about USA and there are obviously so many different components. One of the components is are the spin off events and you all are hosting a spin off event that’s associated with Select USA. Maybe you could give us some highlights of that and what you know, who’s particularly, you know, a good target or a good prospect to come to your to your spin off. Ryan : Sure. So our region really is kind of a microcosm of the United States. We’ve got an urban core, centered around the Research Triangle Park, which is the largest research park in the country. But we also have rural communities that are just right outside of our urban core, where we’re really doing a lot with manufacturing. And so you can come you can do your R&D. We have three tier one research universities, within a 30 mile radius of one another. Companies love to come and do research with those universities. It’s very easy to work with them. They’re coming for the talent as well. We have 12 colleges and universities here. 176,000 students 46,000 annual graduates so the talent pipeline here is very unique. And it’s not replicated in a lot of parts of the country with the high concentration of graduates and especially PhDs or regions, the fourth highest concentration of PhDs in the country, but you know, for us, like I mentioned earlier, you know, a lot of people still don’t know the story of North Carolina, they don’t know the story of the Research Triangle region. And so for us, being a spin off city is great because it gives us the opportunity to expose international companies to what’s happening here. We’ve got you know, we’re the fourth largest Life Science cluster in the United States. We’re one of the fastest growing tech sectors in the country. Both Google and Apple are both building big tech campuses here. We’re very strong in agriculture technology as well. North Carolina is still our largest sectors. agriculture contributes about 100 billion to our economy every year, clean tech and then I’ve already mentioned manufacturing. So we’ve got something for everybody. That’s a very diverse region. And there’s a way for everyone to fit in here. So it’s just like I said, the spin off is an opportunity for us to showcase the strengths of our region and national companies that may have never heard of us to a different part of the United States. Bill : Oh, that’s great. And so, you know, again, thinking about these companies that are coming and you know, in some cases they’ve been the founders and representatives have been to the US before, they may have operations already here. And other cases, you know, this is, you

Exhibitor Tips, Market-Entry

SelectUSA 2022 Preparation: A Visit with Jessica Reynolds, Maryland Department of Commerce

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Link to podcast found HERE Transcript to podcast found below: Bill : Hi and welcome to the next episode of belly2belly and today we’re again talking about Select USA preparation. There’s just so much to do and a lot of excitement is building for this event this year and today, we’re joined by with Jessica Reynolds from the Maryland Department of Commerce. Welcome, Jessica. Jessica : Thank you. Bill : It’s Oh it’s great. It’s great to have you today and in Maryland certainly is in a perfect location for a lot of companies. And can you talk to us a little bit about your service and what the Department of Commerce does to help companies coming into the United States and particularly into the Maryland region? Jessica : Absolutely. So our office of international investment and trade in the Maryland of Department of Commerce is the office tasked with assisting foreign companies to come into the state. So we see ourselves a little bit as maybe like the ombudsman for for those companies, you know, they’re they’re maybe interested in Maryland you know, there’s different counties to consider and and there’s so many resources and services you may need and how to connect all of those I mean, we can be sort of your your one stop shop for that, and help help you navigate the the region and help you find what you need. Specifically, you know, we can certainly assist with things like site selection, identifying specific service providers, such as your lawyers, your accountants, etc. And making introductions to other state agencies, to the local industry associations, etc. And helping you get connected and set up. We’ve also created recently, we launched at the last Select USA summit, the Maryland soft landing program, which is targeted towards some of those smaller and medium sized companies that maybe need even a little bit more support as they explore US market. And, you know, we’d be happy to speak with companies about that. More at the summit as well. Bill : Oh, that’s great. Wow. So connecting and support and helping with that soft landing. It sounds like a real good combination. So, you know, obviously Maryland has, as a state has been participating in Select USA for many years, but why why Select USA? What about the event itself is Do you see it so important for helping international companies? Jessica : Sure. Well, I mean, this is the premier, you know, events for investors to come and explore the US market, right? I mean, this is put on by our federal government. So from that perspective, there’s a benefit. You know, we’re working with our federal partners in this. Also, many states participate if most, if not all states participate. So for one thing, we certainly wouldn’t want to skip it while other states are there. You know, and, you know, this year it happens to be on our home turf. The Select USA Summit is being held at National Harbor, which is actually located in Maryland, right across the border there in Maryland. So, of course, we wouldn’t want to miss that. There’s a benefit to us, you know, from working with Select USA in particular, because with this summit, you know, the government does work with the investors who are coming in. So from the states perspective, you know, we know that the companies who are coming to this summit, you know, they’ve they’ve already kind of gone through that process and are ready, you know, ready to, to invest so that’s, that’s exciting to be at an event where you know, everyone that you’re going to speak with no matter what the industry you know, they’re kind of at that stage, they’re ready to take the next step. Bill : That’s cool. I, you know, I didn’t realize national, Harper was in Maryland, so it’s a home game that’s Jessica : yes. so of course, I’m letting them know Bill : That you’re hosting that’s so I love it. I love a home game. That’s really good. That’s cool. So and this is a perfect segue because people can go right from your home game at the Select USA summit to a spin off event in Maryland as well which, you know, a lot of our audience may not know what a spin off event is. Do you want to kind of talk through the kind of the goal of the spin off event and who you’d like to attract to it? Jessica : Sure. Sure. Yes. So in part because, you know, the event is being hosted. So you know, in Maryland, we are offering actually three spin off events. So the spin off events, the purpose of those is just to give the companies that are attending an opportunity to tour or see something more in depth. And in our case, we’re offering some special events that are industry specific because of course, the Select USA Summit is broad, it covers all industries, all markets. And so we do have three spin off events that are intended to be more targeted. So our spin off events are going to be held on June 23 and 24th. There’s three different I guess you could say choices or tracks to choose from, but there will be held on those dates and the events, the spin off events will be like a full two full days. We’re including transportation and you know all the things that companies would need for that day. Our spin off events are have three topics. The first one is bio and med tech, biotech and medtech. So life sciences companies, if they are interested in investing in the US, they’re looking for a spin off event. We do think marijuana would be a great choice for them. You know, we were the fourth largest cluster and life sciences cluster in the United States. And, you know, there’s a

Exhibitor Tips, Market-Entry

SelectUSA 2022 Preparation, a Visit with Emily Smith, American Electric Power

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Link to podcast found HERE Transcript to podcast found below: Bill : Hi, and welcome to belly to belly. And today we’re continuing in our series to help prepare you for select USA. We’re also welcoming on board, Emily Smith from American Electric Power. Hi Emily. And so it’s really great to chat with you today and I know you’re excited about Select USA. We had a chance to chat for just a moment before starting. So, um, can you tell me about you know what American Electric Power does to help companies that are coming into the US? Emily : Sure. So, AEP, so we’re one of the largest energy companies in the US and so we have kind of a unique role and how we help company so of course, power is our expertise. So anytime that energy is one of the drivers of where a company is located, of course, we get involved with helping and we bring that expertise to the table. But we have so we’re kind of unique in that we have a location advisory services arm to the business, it’s almost like think of us as a consulting business, a consulting arm of the business where we’re helping companies identify where that ideal site location may be, and, and because we serve such a large geography, we serve almost 2400 communities in 11 states. I think an advantage is that we can really help companies that may not, you know, already be drilled down on a specific region and they may be looking at, you know, multiple options across multiple states. We can help do those regional comparisons and some of the research that goes into, you know, identified the ideal site. So we get a lot involved in a lot of fronts, but I would say mainly on the site selection side, and then also on big time on the energy side, of course, identifying you know, is there capacity at the site. You know, where they’re the best renewable options and really comparing sites. And we actually do that nationwide. If a company is looking, you know, where’s the best options in terms of renewables and meeting their sustainability goals, so we get involved in a lot of friends. Bill : Oh, this is fantastic. Now that there’s so many companies that need that help. So let’s talk about so our audiences as I mentioned is a companies that you know, in some cases, are considering Select USA or have already made the decision to come. But you know, with AEP Why is it in particular that you think the event in the summit is so important? Why do you participate? Emily : Yeah, good question. So we’ve actually participated since the very inception. So we’ve been involved we’ve, we’ve exhibited there and have been a sponsor in some form or another every single year. And for us, it’s just been a really great opportunity to meet, of course, investors and they’re all in the same place. But not only investors, but we also meet some of our customers, they’re our suppliers, our state partners, our local partners, so it’s, it’s more to us it’s like we can’t miss out. We have to be there because everyone’s there. And we’ve just gotten a lot of we’ve actually gotten projects that have landed from companies that we’ve met there and so it’s, it’s kind of a no brainer for us. Bill : I love the way you put that is it everybody’s in the room at one time. It’s just sort of a place if you’re not there you’re really missing those all those great connections and the ability maybe to have a three or even four way conversation with a variety of stakeholders. Yeah, can can take place so no, I thought that was perfect. So you know, thinking about these companies this in some cases may be the first trip to the US may be the first trip coming in to you know, to promote this business. And, you know, especially with your experience, you know, over the last eight or nine years since Select USA started, you know, when you think about the companies that you see get the most out of the the participation in the event, what are some of the things that you see, that are the best practices in terms of company that’s coming in to get the most out of their us visit and particularly Select USA participation? Emily : Yeah, good question. I get because we’ve seen a lot, right. I would say, I would say definitely companies that do their homework in advance, right? It’s, it can be overwhelming. I always say that to companies there especially for the first time. I mean, everyone is there you can meet with a representative from nearly every state, and they’re all gonna say that they have the best place to do business and they’re all gonna woo you try to woo you. And so it can be really overwhelming. And so I think as much homework in advance, knowing who you’re going to meet with beforehand, setting up meetings in advance and so that, you know, you have a shortlist of who you want to meet met with in person and actually spend some time with them at the event in person. I, I’ve seen personally, you know, companies that have come in, we’ve had the meeting in advance of the event. then sat down in person, and because we pay things during the meeting, you know, pull up the screen, show them here’s what we think would make the most sense. And then oh, by the way, let me bring over our state partner. This is from the state, you know, X state X, and here’s the local partner and everyone’s there at the table. So I think just really doing that homework in advance knowing who you want to go and

Exhibitor Tips, Market-Entry

SelectUSA 2022 Preparation, a Visit with Kirthi Mani, CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP)

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Link to podcast found HERE Transcript to podcast found below: Bill : Well Hi and welcome to the next episode of belly to belly and today we’re going to be talking about Select USA and preparations kind of our next in the installment of how to get ready and ramped up. So we are welcome or I should say we’re joined by Kirthi Mani from Clifton. Larson and Allen LLP. And they’re sometimes known as CLA as well. Welcome, Keerthi. And it’s great to talk to you today. Kirthi : Awesome that yeah, likewise, I’m always pumped up and enthusiastic about Select USA love to be here. Bill : Oh, thank you. And so I want to make sure we kind of frame this. So our audience are all companies that are interested in US market entry. And I know you do a lot of work with companies in that in that way and who are interested in coming to the US. So maybe you could take just a moment or two and tell us about the services that CLA offers for companies that are coming into the US. Kirthi : Perfect So CLA we are a big eight US accounting firm. And you know, we offer a variety of services to privately held businesses, I lead CLA’s Global Advisory and outsourcing practice. So pretty much we act as a single point of contact for all their global needs, beat you know, entity creation, tax structuring bank account insurance, talent solutions, you name it. We’re the one stop shop, to help those companies come into the US scale and succeed. Bill : Ah, that’s so good and it’s such a critical part. And it just I hear all the time companies being challenged to form so I’m really glad for our relationship and the help you can provide companies in our network. So you know, you’ve been mentioned as we’re getting going that you’ve participated in Select USA, three or four times now and what is it about Select USA itself, the event to me and the community that really excites and interests you? Kirthi : Oh, yeah. So Bill I think of it like if you’re a football fan, it’s Super Bowl, right? So I would say if you’re in this global business, like helping global businesses or individuals come inbound, select USA is the event to be just the energy, just a mix of people from international businesses, entrepreneurs, the Economic Development Councils, all the service providers. I would say it’s the place to be don’t miss it. Bill : That is the best description. I’ve heard the Super Bowl of US market entry I love. I love that metaphor. It’s absolutely perfect. Yeah, and it totally fits. So if if you’re international, you don’t know the Super Bowl. Think of the World Cup. It’s the World Cup for US market entry. I love it. Or the Olympics, any of those. So and obviously you’ve seen and you’ve worked with many clients and you’ve met many companies who go to Select USA. When you think about the best practices that you’ve seen in terms of companies, not just maybe, you know, number one might be leveraging, you know, the Select USA event itself, how do they get the most of it because there’s so many components, but also these companies quite often will, you know, extend their visit to the US either come early or stay you know, an extra you know, extra days or a week or whatnot. But what suggestions have you have for companies that are coming over to attend this like USA event? How do they get the most out of it? Kirthi : That’s a great question, Bill. I would say three things. Network network network. It’s all about that, you know, benefit from that. I know we all have 100 million things going on. But don’t just come and be on your laptop even prior to as you very correctly said you could extend your stay meet some providers. For example, if you want to open a bank account, right you connect with a provider you extend that So make use of this forum to network, give it give it your all and be all and lean in and make use of this opportunity. I think it’s amazing if you network, that kind of wealth of information, wealth of service providers, wealth of other businesses that you can bounce off ideas. It’s just amazing. Bill : I love that. So just to give you a reinforcement of that. So last year we interviewed was probably a dozen founders who had successfully internationalized both into the US and then also in other cases from the US out. The number one thing and this is just asking an open ended question the number one thing each of them said that created their success in whatever country or countries they went to was the network they established. So your answer certainly agrees with the at least what we’ve heard from very successful founders as they as expanded internationally. So no, that’s, that’s awesome. And is there anything that CLA is going to be doing particular or a particular focus, you’re going to have it at select USA that we shouldn’t make sure our audience knows about? Oh, yeah. Kirthi : So we’re going to be all in right so we are going to have a number of speakers from CLA. I will be in the banking panel for any bank opening theme points. I know Patrick Hanlon is going to be talking about incentives. So you will hear all about it. We have a website on here. They’re all in excited to be there. Bill : Oh, that’s so cool, Kathy, and so we’re just to our audience. So you know, we’ll have courteous contact information in the description. And I’m sure you’d welcome contact from anybody who is interested in more information on

Exhibitor Tips, Market-Entry

SelectUSA 2022 Preparation with Dave Roccio from Lando Anastasi

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Link to podcast found HERE Transcript to podcast found below: Bill : Hi and welcome to belly to belly and we’re here with just a kind of a fun installment around the Select USA event, which will be happening in June in the US and it’s a great event for helping to really provide companies coming into the US with information and connections to help support their successful entry. So, today, we’re joined by Dave Roccio from Lando Anastasi. Welcome, Dave.  Dave : Hey, thanks, Bill. I appreciate it.  Bill : Well, this is it’s great. So we really get to kind of do this rapid fire just a couple of questions. And again, we’re trying to give companies coming into the us a sense of what to expect and how to advantage himself the most in coming to select USA. So can you tell us a little bit about what you do for companies coming into the US have you helped support them?  Dave : Yeah, great. Thanks, Bill Thanks again. Thanks for having me. So I’m with Lando and Anastasi. Like you said, we’re an intellectual property boutique law firm up in Boston. So we help clients protect their patents in inventions, trademarks, you know, all of that all of the above and so for for companies coming into the US, whether they you know, where they are in that spectrum and what they’ve protected so far in their home countries, whether they protected anything in the US, you know, there’s pretty strict rules and regulations and requirements to meet so I hope that when I attend the summit to connect to those companies learn where they’re at, and hopefully provide some information that can help them avoid you know, pitfalls down the line or making a decision that they come to regret, you know, when they actually enter the US. Bill : That’s awesome. So I I think this is if I’m not mistaken, the ninth year of Select USA, the this upcoming version. And so why do you participate? What it’s what attracts Lando and Anastasi to the event itself? Dave : Yeah, I think you know, for personal reasons and for firm reasons. I love making the connections. I like meeting companies. In know it’s always interesting to see kind of what types of technology are going back and forth across borders. But you know, one thing that became very clear as I, in my practice, really have met with different foreign companies, international companies, it became very clear that there was a really a disconnect between you know, the impression or you know, what was assumed to be the right answer in terms of intellectual property from a lot of these companies and what the actual rules are and requirements are. And, you know, when you have some of these discussions, it the surprise that some of these, you know, company owners and founders have is astonishing in terms of what they, you know, you tell them this one rule like wait, no, we thought it was this and you know, that that answer can have a really big impact on their business. So, I found in by attending events like the Investment Summit, and connecting these companies and, you know, hopefully be able to educate them and, you know, help them account like I said, in your first question, like, avoid those things, you know, one of the first companies I ever met at the first summit I went to, geez, three, four years ago now, you know, it was a it was a I think our Korean company, they were very excited to enter the United States. We had great discussions, you know, and then I asked him a very simple question to get a point with one of the very strict us rules and laws, you know, that the answer to that question had a very, you know, wasn’t a negative impact and what they were planning to do, and they had no idea and it just showed, like, you know, how it first you know, companies like this, there’s so much information they’re trying to process and consider, you know, so I’m just hoping just on the little small Friends of the IP that really helped them kind of avoid any mistakes, make good decisions early on, where they set this set themselves up for success. Bill : Well, and I think that leads us into the next question really well, which is, you know, thinking about, you know, in your three or four years experience it’s going to select USA and seeing companies who leverage the opportunity. Well, and obviously there are those that may not quite as well. But what are some of the things you’d recommend to companies that are going in terms of how to get the most out of the event?  Dave : Yeah, it’s a great question. It’s taken a few years for myself just to figure out like, know, what the best way to attend such an event is, you know, the first year I went, it’s a large event. There’s lots of people, there’s lots of programming, there’s a lot to you know, it’s almost overwhelming. So I would, you know, number one is go in with a plan. And really have at least have kind of surveyed who maybe who you know, who is attending, they have a great networking platform, maybe get some meetings set up ahead of time. So at the very least, you kind of have some structure around what you’re what you’re, you know who you’re meeting what you’re trying to do, if you go in and just you know, trying to do everything and you’ll do nothing, because you’ll just be overwhelmed by the information and it’s very difficult, you know, I I think the programming is great, especially some of the smaller group sessions where you can really meet people ask questions. But in

Exhibitor Tips

Trade Show Exhibitor Preparation with Joel Roy, Creative Dimensions

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Link to Podcast Available HERE Transcript to podcast found below: Bill : Hi and welcome to the next episode of belly2belly Bill Kenny here and today we have a really cool topic and it’s all about trade show exhibitor preparation, and I’m joined by Joel Roy from Creative Dimensions. Hi, Joel. Joel : Hey, Bill, how are you today? Bill : Fantastic. It’s great to have you with us and you know this topic. It’s something that it just seems like such an amazing issue. I think I’ve when I think about preparation, I think of what did Woody Allen say said 80% of life is showing up. And if you think about, you know, I actually was talking to a very big exhibitor large enterprise company that exhibits all the time. Not that long ago, and I asked them, you know, how do they define success and just to give context, in this company, there’s no sort of event department and, you know, sort of people have other functions and then they, you know, they also sort of manage the trade show presence, but they bring 30 people to a trade show, so they invest tons and tons and tons of money into this. But, you know, they really struggled with how do they measure success, which I thought was amazing. And I said, Do you is, you know, do you feel relief, when you actually just arrive? Is that just the fact that you got there with all the materials, and you got the printing done at the end and all that kind of stuff? Is that is that some measure of success? And they said yes, which seems like you know, you’ve totally missed the, the whole opportunity and I guess, when you start thinking about, you know, preparation for trade shows, what are some of the things that come to mind for you, when you think about you know, that the keys for an exhibitor? Joel : Oh, as a trade show organizer, slash designer slash builder. There’s a lot of parts involved. I mean, our job is to make the process as painless as possible. I, it comes with the client vision, really, I mean, we need to do a discovery process, go through a whole discovery process with them learn what it is that they’re trying to achieve. What is their look? How are they going to go through the process? How are they measuring that show? And, you know, understand what the end game is going in. You know, typically, we’re going to have what we call a discovery meeting. And it’s going to talk about all of those things. And our job is to do as much or as little as that client wants us. To do. Some people are savvy, and they want hands on and they’re going to go there and they’re going to take on the world and set it up and be ready for that show. And some people want to sleep in and show up at the booth that day, and everything’s all set for them. So I will say in COVID right now. Though, coming out of it. A lot of companies have lost their staff. And so they’re going to probably be relying on us a lot more. We have We also are short of staff. However, you know, that’s something that we’ve been talking about in the industry. In some of our calls and our you know, meetings with everybody comparing notes, and they’re just saying that people need to expect it to be different than it used to be. So I don’t know if that answers your question, Bill. Bill : Yeah, I guess I’m thinking about the individual exhibitor. And so I think a little bit of what you talked about was sort of how, how you prepare them, but what are from the exhibitors perspective, when you think about, you know, what are the what are they the keys, you know, for example, how important is it to consider who the customer is, and sort of designing things around as you said the outcome, but quite often it’s a business development related outcome. So what is the I guess when you think about you know, the preparation you know, are there some specific things around sort of Prospect identification and whatnot that that you consider in terms of preparing for a trade show? Joel : Yeah, I think there’s a lot of shows out there. You can be at a show that’s the perfect target or you can be at one that might not hit it, right. So I think it’s incumbent on them to understand their product and go out and research the best show for them. That gives them a fighting chance going in. They have to also decide how they want to measure what they’re doing. I mean, obviously, with social media these days, and everything else, some, some pre-event touches are maybe a lot easier than they used to be. So knowing identifying those customers knowing who they are reaching out to them ahead of time, I think if you are if they plan to set up meetings, at the show or in the booth, it’s going to raise their level of success versus just kind of sitting and hoping. But being in that target market is going to help that happen. You know, what we’re seeing is that a lot of people going to the shows are more of the decision makers than they used to be used to be a lot more of a party, everyone to go and is like hey, went to the show and let’s go to the pool. But I think the people are going now people are spending the money. They’re taking their people offline. They’re either Manning their booth, or and, or going in hunting for people at shows. And those people are more specific than ever, I

Exhibitor Tips, Return on Investment

Ready for SelectUSA? Crush this 12-Step Checklist to Make Sure

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SelectUSA is an unrivaled opportunity for international firms looking to scale to the U.S. market, making the event uniquely high stakes for economic development organizations, investors, service providers and the high volumes of mature companies in attendance. At MEET, we like to say that effective preparation is 90% of winning the race; this is especially true with SelectUSA. Increased participation rates due to lower barriers to entry (no travel expenses!) have raised the pressure to differentiate. It’s also raised the bar for a well-executed participation strategy. Are you ready for SelectUSA? Here’s a 12-Step Checklist to ensure you’re prepared to step up, stand out and walk away on top. And feel free to connect with us during the event or schedule a meeting with Bill Kenney at bill@meetroi.com. We’d love to hear how it’s going. SelectUSA Preparation Checklist 1. Nail Your Target Know precisely who you want to meet and what outcomes you want to achieve. It’s not enough to identify industries. Focus on categories within industries and refine your personas by role and type. If you’re able to narrow it down to specific people within each organization who you want to meet, go there. 2. Customize Your Value Proposition Always frame your value proposition from your target audience’s perspective. By fine-tuning your value proposition and self-introduction, you’ll help to ensure that every interaction is congruent with how you want to be perceived and your prospect’s pain point, improving the ROI of each interaction. 3. Create Your Agenda Spend time reviewing the SelectUSA agenda and overlay your objectives with valuable content. To increase the likelihood of building connections in these settings, be prepared with questions, speaker research and intelligent chat concepts. 4. Train Your Team Once you identify your internal team, hold an event orientation that focuses on company introduction and messaging. Bonus points if done by persona type and audience! Delegate event responsibilities by skill, type and role, and train individuals for specific tasks. These investments in your team will exponentially increase their likelihood of success, in turn improving yours. 5. Pre-Set Your Meetings Make sure every minute of your team’s time at the event is well-spent by using the big stone approach. Make introductions on LinkedIn and secure meetings with high-value connections (big stones) before the event to ensure they’re on the books. Then fill in with other agenda items (your small stones) to help meet your targets. 6. Prepare Your Pitch Prepare, practice and get feedback on your pitch prior to the event. Don’t be afraid to iterate and adjust, particularly as you consider different audience types and desired outcomes. 7. Collate Your Collateral At an event the size of SelectUSA, a good pitch will not be enough to keep you top of mind for target prospects. Prepare “leave behinds” – company overviews, investor summaries, and product sell sheets – for every meeting. Strong collateral will inform, excite, and remind your audience to take action after you’re gone. 8. Maximize Virtual Event Participation In many ways virtual events have removed the friction to participating in matchmaking, networking and spin-off events. Take advantage of these opportunities and prepare for each accordingly. Have prepared questions to build your intelligence and insights, and SHARE your insights/questions during presentations. Differentiate yourself and be ‘seen’. 9. Nurture Your Relationships Have your post-event communication staged prior to the event and block out time each evening to send these out. For each person you meet, make notes and customize your communications to ensure they feel personal. If you wait more than 24-hours after the event has ended, you’re too late. 10. Identify Your Allies Identify and be prepared to share your objectives with key resources and partners. Empower these allies to connect you with the opportunities that you seek and ask others how you can reciprocate. Network with connectors/leaders who can guide you, introduce you and promote you. 11. Optimize Your Presence Wear comfy shoes…virtual style. Help your team be on time and stay focused. Ensure your space is optimal – good lighting with enough room to stand up and move around – to keep your energy level high. Know the technology and how to navigate the platform so you can focus on actively participating and making connections, rather than “finding the bathroom.” 12. Follow Up Diligently Follow-up is the key to relationship building and event success! Develop pre-written text by persona type and reach out the same day you connect (not the following week). Keep following up until there is a next step. Congratulations! You’re ready to hit the virtual aisles of SelectUSA! And don’t forget to connect with us at the event to let us know how it’s going.   About MEET (meetroi.com) helps international B2B growth companies soft-land and scale in the U.S. through trade shows, virtual and in-person events. MEET’s processes help clients ramp-up sales quickly and maintain a steady stream of high-quality prospects going forward. Contact Bill Kenney for a no-obligation conversation: bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Exhibitor Tips

Virtual Event Networking: How Not to #FAIL

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  One year ago, virtual events were limited to particular industries. Today they’re everywhere. That’s because in the absence of in-person events, we’ve had no choice but to embrace virtual platforms as a means of building and maintaining our professional networks. But if everyone’s networking through virtual events, then why doesn’t it feel easier? Having hosted, attended and evaluated numerous events in 2020, we’ve identified three of the most likely reasons why virtual event networking still feels challenging in 2021. Fortunately, we’ve also identified 10 ways to guarantee better results at your next virtual event. Three reasons why virtual event networking still feels hard #1 It’s difficult to know who else is in the room MOST event attendees do not take the time to complete their bio on the virtual event platform. This makes it almost impossible to know who is in attendance. Even when a platform utilizes AI to match registrants, it’s very difficult to make high quality connections in the absence of profile data. #2 Practically every virtual event uses a different platform Chances are, almost every virtual event you attended this last year used a different platform–interesting if you’re looking for insight into the growth of the virtual platform industry, less interesting (not to mention intimidating) if you’re trying to meet quality prospects and maximize ROI. For insights into the growth of the virtual event industry and what to expect for 2021, check out our interview with Allen Yesilevich, Head of Marketing & Growth at Accelevents or read the highlights here. #3 The learning curve is steep In addition to platforms being new, most attendees don’t log on prior to the day of the event. That creates a steep learning curve for new users, further complicating their engagement during the event. Case and point is this User Guide put out by one virtual event networking platform Remo. Amazing resource, but a lot of onboarding for just one facet of platform. But don’t fear! 10 strategies to overcome these and other challenges at virtual events #1: Take the time to log onto the platform prior to the event. Even just 20 minutes exploring the site will go a long way. Some events open networking access up to a month in advance, leaving you plenty of time to get started. #2: Set up your bio and upload a picture. Even a bad one is better than none when it comes to building relationships. #3: Know the persona you’re targeting. This is critical for any event but especially when profile data is inconsistent and you need to rely on other clues. Not sure you’ve nailed your buyer persona? Check out MEET’s 8 Point System to ensuring virtual event ROI. #4: Use the system’s intelligence to connect PRIOR to the event via email and start a conversation or schedule a one-on-one. #5: Do your research via external tools such as LinkedIn to gain background on event registrants and prepare for one-on-one meetings. #6: Set clear goals around the type of people you want to connect with, how many, and what you want to learn about them. Clearly defined goals help you to measure your own success across events as well as your team’s performance. #7: Be active and visible during the event. That means asking good questions, engaging the exhibitors, and leveraging all available networking sessions. #8: Be efficient with your time. Once you’ve connected with the right person, close for the next step. Secure an ‘offsite’ meeting and move on the way you would if you were in-person. #9: Don’t forget to engage speakers and sponsors. They are selected because they are opinion leaders and know the industry. #10: Last but certainly not least, Follow up! Why a good follow-up strategy is more important now than ever Nothing is more important than follow up according to Kelly Kenney, Head of Strategic Partnerships at MEET. “Virtual events work for a chat and brief exchanges, but they’re not optimal for engaging in the very complicated things that humans do to build trust.” If virtual event networking seems hard, that’s because it is. Therefore the important differentiator, in any event but especially with virtual, is a finely tuned follow-up strategy. “At the end of a virtual event, you’ve connected on fewer levels,” shares Kelly. “Your ROI depends on establishing a thread to build identity and trust. And for that, follow-up is your greatest asset.”   About MEET (meetroi.com) helps international B2B growth companies soft-land and scale in the U.S. through trade shows, virtual and in-person events. MEET’s processes help clients ramp-up sales quickly and maintain a steady stream of high-quality prospects going forward.  Contact Bill Kenney for a no-obligation conversation: bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821

Exhibitor Tips

Leveraging Virtual Trade Show Events as an Attendee

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Eight months into the pandemic, virtual trade show events have proven their unique value. Which means for those who thought they could coast until in-person events come back online—it’s time to get moving. On November 21st, MEET released the final podcast to a 3-part series: Leveraging Virtual Trade Show Participation See: Part 1: Strategy, Part 2: Exhibiting, Part 3: Attending  In this final episode, Kelly Kenney walks us through tips for getting the most out of virtual platforms as an attendee and what unique opportunities virtual events have to offer for differentiating yourself. First and foremost, know your tech We all know how to walk into a room and meet people. This is not the case with virtual trade show technology and those who are experts are quickly able to differentiate themselves from other attendees. “The tech’s either going to work for you or against you,” shared Kelly. “What we’re finding is that it’s really easy to differentiate yourself at an event if you understand the tech and use every facet of the event. A lot of people end up being invisible because they don’t know how to leverage the technology.” The technology is your roadmap—helping you to physically work your way through the virtual trade show floor and content. But beyond being present, you also need to know how to get results. Five steps to leveraging virtual trade show events Fortunately there are many aspects of your in-person event strategy that can be applied to virtual. Here’s the hit list: Complete your profile as early as possible before the event. The majority of visitors fail to do this and miss out on valuable networking opportunities, making this the easiest way to differentiate yourself from other attendees. Get comfortable with the technology. Sign on early and practice moving through the navigation tools. Look at the agenda–the topics and workshops—and have few good questions on hand for the chat or Q&A time. Engage in preset meetings (some platforms will suggest connections for you) Show-up and follow-up after your meetings! In essence, be vocal and proactive. “You can’t just sit there and drink your coffee and watch. You have to jump in, ask questions, interact positively, and be seen!” A behavior you want to avoid As is the case with all in-person events, there is a code of conduct with virtual. Unfortunately, with so many new players in the game, we still see a lot of cringe-worthy behaviors. Knowing when and where to be self-promotional is important. Workshops are not these spaces, and yet too often we see attendees (often competitors) using the chat feature to self-promote. Alternatively, make thoughtful, on-topic comments that do not distract from the context of the presentation. “Making yourself seen is not about announcing that you’re in the room,” shares Kelly. “The neat thing about virtual is that you’re able to see what everybody’s thinking during the presentation in the chat. You don’t get that in-person. Pay attention to what’s in the chat, who is saying it, and have a few prepared questions or relevant points to get their attention and prompt them to want to connect with you.” Exploring virtual booths and exhibits There are some key advantages to walking the virtual trade show floor. According to Kelly, it can be more relaxing but just as informative as in-person. “Instead of feeling like everybody’s looking at you when you enter a booth and hoping to engage you, virtual allows you to take your time and explore everything the booth has to offer.” Pro Tip: When you virtually walk into a booth, touch everything. Whether it’s a video, a live chat or a paper to download, it’s helpful to get the full experience of what is being offered. It’s also a great opportunity to meet your competitors. “I love these virtual shows to really get an understanding of the vibe of my competitor, their offerings and how we differentiate. I’ll even stop by and say something like: “This is a really interesting booth. We’re in the same industry and I’m glad that you’re at this show. How did you decide to come?” The future is hybrid While a reasonable number of in-person events are projected to come back online by summer or fall 2021, evidence suggests the future will be a hybrid model. Therefore, how should scaling companies plan to use the next six to nine months to prepare for the future of trade shows and event marketing? Given their low barrier to entry, virtual trade show events are ideal for exploring new market segments and buyer personas, engaging in rapid A/B testing, and checking out shows that you wouldn’t have looked at in the past. “The virtual aspect is such a boost to events in general. We recommend leveraging their unique assets now while they are plentiful, cheap and the playing field is even in that everyone is learning together.” However, a word of warning–the playing field will not remain that way.  From Kelly’s perspective: “By year-end there’s going to be people who are far exceeding the status quo because they understand the virtual format and are leveraging it to the hilt. In summary, it’s time to get on board with virtual events. “You will be outpaced quickly if you stand by. And if you do them well, virtual events will accelerate your results.” For more tips on leveraging your attendance at virtual trade show events, like how to fill up your networking table, effectively multi-task, and manage team participation, check out the full podcast. About 
MEET (meetroi.com) helps international B2B growth companies soft-land and scale in the U.S. through in-person and virtual trade shows and events. MEET’s processes help its clients ramp-up sales quickly and maintain a steady stream of high-quality prospects going forward. Contact Bill Kenney for a no-obligation conversation: bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.  

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