Return on Investment Archives - Page 6 of 7

Exhibitor Tips, Return on Investment, Uncategorized

Create Trade Show Strategy ROI for the Greater Good

Mollie Ring / September 11, 2018

To know about how to plan a trade show, you should check once MEET ROI.</> It is the event planning company which helps you in generating best returns. As a pavilion host, your exhibitors are a reflection of you. The better they perform, the better your pavilion will perform overall. Not only because exhibitors are generating sales, but because their positive performance reflects well on your region, making it more attractive to businesses that are looking to open new offices, find new suppliers, or build new manufacturing facilities. In our webinar on Pavilion Pitfalls, we talk about trade show strategy ROI and how to ensure that client companies or exhibitors are both high performing and highly invested in the pavilion. At MEET, we recommend a co-investment and training strategy that not only raises the bar for exhibitor performance but offers capacity building resources that raise the tide for all boats. A common complaint we hear from pavilion hosts is that it’s hard to find enough enthusiastic exhibitors to fill all the booths. As the event approaches, hosts find they need to cut prices in order to fill slots or even give booths away for free just to fill them. One way to ensure that exhibitors are invested in the pavilion is to promote it as a cooperative marketing opportunity. Not only is the cost to participate in a pavilion booth significantly less than exhibitors would have to pay for an independent booth, the leverage and promotion capabilities represent unrivaled added value. Similar to the envelope you receive in the mail containing many different store coupons, cooperative marketing offers a less expensive, less risky trade show strategy ROI. Beyond how you promote the booth to exhibitors, pavilion hosts can use a number of co-investment strategies to help guarantee high performance. Here are three co-investment techniques to consider: Direct cash investment The more (and we want to emphasize that more is better) that exhibitors are willing to pay for a booth, the more value they are likely to derive from it. Assigning a high price to join the pavilion sends a message about the value of the event. Setting a low price has a similarly negative effect. 2. Minimum standards Setting a minimum standard for participation in the booth sends an important message about expectations and sets a performance threshold that exhibitors can use for goal setting. By joining a pavilion, exhibitors are representing themselves as well as the region or industry. As such, they need to perform at a much higher level. Their ability to meet some of these minimum standards in advance can help to enable their acceptance as a pavilion exhibitor. Meeting all minimum standards be used to determine future participation. 3. Post-event reporting Creating accountability through post-event reporting is fundamental to trade show strategy ROI. Ways to incentivize this may be through a money-back scheme whereby exhibitors who complete all required training, meet minimum standards and submit post-event reporting receive a rebate on their investment. There’s no one size fits all; figuring out what works best for your participants is key. The MEET team spends a lot of time strategizing with its clients to customize the pavilion exhibitor system, optimizing the approach for specific audiences and goals. Finally, there’s capacity building through training. Offering a comprehensive training that sets expectations for exhibiting teams will boost performance on an individual booth level and for your region as the pavilion puts out a more energized and synchronized vibe. Sample topics include pre-setting appointments, the role of the sales and booth teams, networking, and how to support peer exhibitors, in addition to basic ground rules such as dress codes and cell phone use. When pavilion hosts employ trade show strategy ROI that is focused on investing in and building the capacity of exhibitors, everyone wins. That is a greater good. About MEET (meetroi.com) helps B2B growth companies and pavilion hosts effectively leverage at trade shows and in-person 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 at MEET today for a free trade show participation assessment bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Return on Investment, Uncategorized

Three Challenges, One Solution: Strategic Partnerships

Mollie Ring / September 5, 2018

Your event should always leave an impact to the audience. MEET ROI are one of the experienced trade show planned to help you with all your needs We were recently inspired by an article released by Octopus Ventures (a London-based VC firm) highlighting the most common challenges faced by European CEOs while expanding to the U.S. market. Through interviews with 50+ VC-backed CEOs, they uncovered a number of challenges shared by many of our clients. At MEET, our aim is to improve trade show and event participation ROI while establishing a methodology for benchmarking and continuous improvement. In other words, we aim to address the most pressing challenges of today while minimizing the risk of future challenges tomorrow. Here’s a great example of how MEET’s services address several of the challenges highlighted in this article. According to research from Octopus Ventures, three major challenges (among many) identified by European CEOs who recently expanded to the U.S. market are: High set-up costs Timing of market entry, and maintaining stability at home during the expansion. Selecting local talent capable of keeping pace with growth goals. As the article rightly suggests, the cost of U.S. market entry is often underestimated. In addition to obvious startup expenses, there are the costs associated with senior management’s need to juggle responsibilities and the time it takes to perfect one’s strategic plan. Support for CEOs leading an international expansion is not readily available, and effective penetration into the U.S. market relies upon a certain set of skills that can effectively sustain growth at home and abroad. Finally, making the right decisions in a foreign office, such as hiring new talent, can be a challenge due to intense competition from American companies: “The job market is very liquid, driving up prices and lowering retention. Meanwhile, customers expect a local presence and local services. Strong local partners — experts, service providers, strategic partners — are impactful for success.” We couldn’t agree more. At MEET, our solution to addressing all three of these major challenges is through key, on-the-ground strategic partnerships. These relationships, with channel partners, referral sources, and other companies and individuals that have some type of cooperative alignment, allow the core team to stay focused on the primary deliverables, better control costs, speed learning, and reduce risks associated with expanding to foreign markets. The power of strategic partnerships is perhaps best illustrated by example. Back in June, MEET staff participated in the 2018 SelectUSA Investment Summit, an event hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce to attract and facilitate foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United States. There we met a Polish company looking to find a manufacturing partner in Florida. As a means of facilitating this process, controlling costs and reducing risks associated with expansion into the U.S. market, MEET partnered with this company to offer several services. These include attending several manufacturing industry events in Florida on their behalf, and use of MEET’s vast network to build a list of the top-flight finalists from which they can select a local manufacturing partner. In doing so, MEET will also build a manufacturing partner identification and selection process to improve and streamline the selection of additional manufacturing partners as the company expands further throughout the U.S. over the coming years. By having a local manufacturing partner, our client will be able to leverage their years of market experience and sales network to create some initial success all the while not over-committing their own resources, i.e. people, time, and money. MEET will also be performing a variety of pre-market-entry tests at trade shows and events for the Polish company. These tests will validate the best early buyer personas, value propositions, and offers. The goal will be to ensure early traction and sustained growth. We have found that early traction is a critical element not only to the venture’s success but also to retaining key team members and investor support. Three common challenges faced by CEOs seeking success in the U.S. market; one solution that gets the job done. Expanding your business into a foreign market is never an easy task. Finding strategic partners ensures you won’t have to do it alone. About MEET (meetroi.com) helps B2B growth companies and pavilion hosts effectively leverage at trade shows and in-person 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 at MEET today for a free trade show participation assessment bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Return on Investment, Uncategorized

Looking to Expand into the U.S. Market? Invest Early

Mollie Ring / August 30, 2018

We offer due diligence services that empower CEOs to make their best decisions, which make them easier to expand into the U.S. market CEOs looking to expand into the U.S. market have layer upon layer of critical questions to ask themselves before pulling the trigger. On top of logistics—regulatory compliance, shipping and translation costs to name a few, there’s identifying suppliers and vendors, staffing and leadership capacity. And on top of all that, there are the unique dynamics of the U.S. market—regional demographic, economic and consumer-related factors that impact growth strategy both in terms of scale and sequence. We recently came across some insightful takeaways concerning these challenges in a post: Irrational “inevitability” & other confessions of venture backed European CEOs who launched in the US, by London-based VC Octopus Ventures. In interviews with over 50 VC-backed European CEOs, they found that among the most common challenges for those who took the plunge into the U.S. market was that, despite its massive scale, CEOs underestimated (or were unaware of) their fellow foreign or U.S.-based competitors. As the article explains, companies find it challenging to adequately comprehend the breadth and depth of the U.S. market, its regional differences and the full competitive landscape. The ability to successfully expand into the U.S. market relies on one’s capacity to a) understand the unique dynamics of the market and b) execute on this knowledge. At MEET, we spend a lot of time talking about the importance of buyer personas when crafting and executing growth strategy, including international expansion to the U.S. Too often we watch CEOs apply an overly broad definition of their target market for fear of missing out on potential future prospects. Without the ability to demonstrate a bona fide, self-realized need; the resources to satisfy that need; and a sense of urgency in the market (how we define a current prospect – NEED, MONEY, NOW), CEOs are really just casting nets and crossing fingers. And in unknown waters, that’s extremely risky. When seeking to understand the dynamics of a target market and develop a well-informed growth and marketing strategy, we recommend two things: pre-market research and pre-market sales. Pre-market entry competitor, partner, and channel research, potential partner screening, and connection, allows CEOs to map out the landscape while building key strategic relationships and respected influencers before market entry, and use this data to build knowledge and ensure future sales efficiency. Engaging in pre-market entry sales tests give CEOs critical data that supports location selection, competitive landscape knowledge, the best initial target buyer persona, value proposition and offer, staffing and training needs, not to mention the ultimate decision of whether to enter the market—or not. The revenues from these sales will not only fuel the business and maintain investment, but customer-acquisition success retains and attracts the best team members and partners. Companies looking to expand into the U.S. market or any new market for that matter, often make decisions based on emotion or on the statistics supplied by economic development officers, which may or may not apply to their specific situation. At MEET, we offer due diligence services that empower CEOs to make their best decisions, including pre-market research. We call this “winning the race before it begins,” or getting to know your target prospect before laying the groundwork for expansion. When companies have narrowed their list down to a few finalist cities, MEET will develop and execute a variety of lead-generation tests with the goal of separating fact from fiction and to determine which market will actually provide the best beachhead for market entry. This is also a good way to test the introductions and support that each economic development officer makes when they are trying to convince a company to invest in their city. Pre-market entry sales are one key element of de-risking market entry decisions. Many companies don’t get more than one chance at the U.S. market. Take the steps that count by making early investments that better inform decision making. About MEET (meetroi.com) helps B2B growth companies and pavilion hosts effectively leverage at trade shows and in-person 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 at MEET today for a free trade show participation assessment bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Exhibitor Tips, Return on Investment, Workshops and Webinars

Preparing your Team for Trade Show Success, a Conversation with Deidre Diamond, Part 2

Mollie Ring / August 6, 2018

We provide trade show success strategy with proper guidance and direction which include assessment, sponsership etc. to make your trade show success.Deidre closed her discussion with several points about the importance of making a human connection when reaching out to prospects from the booth to make a great trade show success strategy We’re happy to share Part 2 of our discussion with Deidre Diamond, founder and CEO of CyberSN and founder of Brainbabe. Our conversation with Deidre was live-streamed on July 26th as part of a new series we’re offering at MEET: Coffee and Conversation. Join us periodically as we chat live with experts and veterans in the trade show, event, and complementary industries to hear their wisdom on common challenges and simple solutions for success. You can check out Part 1 of our recap here, or feel free to catch the full interview with a fresh cup of coffee here. We left off in our conversation with Deidre during her discussion on the importance of offering a full orientation to both new and old staff to walk through each detail of the event, the strategy, the schedule and the communications, in addition to setting up a clear leadership structure. We followed by asking about the value of role-playing in staff preparation. Deidre stated that prior to any event, everyone—whether they are in marketing or sales, role-plays the pitch of the day, the vision and mission of the company until it rolls off their tongues. For salespeople, this tends to be easier as they are constantly speaking this messaging. For marketing staff, they may be more familiar with the written message and therefore need more practice. At the end of the day, it’s about attracting true prospects, in which case role-playing requires more than repeating a script. It requires a clear strategy. Everything begins with strategy. When asked how she incorporates leaders or more experienced event staff into the training process, Deidre shared that she looks for one person to be in charge of the entire event. She holds one person accountable but requires that person to tell her specifically how he or she will hold others accountable, in the process of building their leadership skills. Leaders are required to prepare a full schedule for the event including staffing for set-up and break down. She is also looking for how the team plans to use the event’s scheduled breaks to ensure that the booth is fully staffed when the attendees are out of sessions and most likely to visit the floor. Typically she looks for senior staff to work the booth during these break sessions, whereas otherwise, they are moving throughout the event, seeking out existing clients. It is based on this master schedule that she measures their results at the end of the day. We probed further into this idea of results measurement tied to individual and team performance, asking Deidre how she personally measures ROI for each event. Her first step prior to selecting an event is to ask the host for a list of the attendees—not the actual names, but the personas. For example, she looks for data such as the percentage of practitioners or percentage of CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) that typically attend these events, the break down of who they anticipate will actually attend, and anticipated total number of participants. She collects this data months before the event but does not use it immediately. Rather, she revisits the data closer to the event, basing her decision about whether to attend on the current focus of sales and how well this focus aligns with the projected personas of who will be in attendance. Using this data, she assesses what percentage of the attendees represent the personas of their current clients as well as their current prospects. She the applies measurable outcomes to each of these personas, allowing for clear, informed goal setting against which to measure the success of her team, and the overall ROI. Deidre closed her discussion with several points about the importance of making a human connection when reaching out to prospects from the booth. Recognizing that feelings of discomfort and shyness arise both from those selling the product and from those buying it, the value of a warm, welcoming introduction cannot be underestimated. Failing to prepare your team to make these connections on the floor not only impacts their ability to meet goals, it sends a broader message to all the event attendees about the vitality of your company. About MEET (meetroi.com) helps B2B growth companies and pavilion hosts effectively leverage at trade shows and in-person 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 at MEET today for a free trade show participation assessment bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Exhibitor Tips, Return on Investment, Workshops and Webinars

Preparing your Team for Trade Show Success, a Conversation with Deidre Diamond: Part 1

Mollie Ring / August 2, 2018

We provide trade show success plan with proper guidance and direction which include assessment, planning, sponsership etc. to make your trade show success. In late July, our team at MEET launched an exciting new series: Coffee and Conversation, periodic live-stream interviews with experts and veterans in the trade show, event, and staffing industries. Our goal with these conversations is to share the wisdom that comes from work on the ground and to identify common challenges and effective solutions. We debuted Coffee and Conversation by connecting with Deidre Diamond, founder and CEO of CyberSN and founder of Brainbabe. CyberSN, The Cybersecurity Network, is the nation’s largest cyber security staffing agency, offering job building and posting services, staffing and strategy consulting, as well as online resources. After many years of success in the tech staffing industry, Deidre started Brainbabe, a direct response to the use of scantily clad models or “booth babes” at technology trade shows. Deidre witnessed how this trend had not only fostered negative stereotypes about the role of women in tech but had created additional barriers for women seeking to build expertise in the tech industry. Brainbabe changes this dynamic by training and staffing female students to work cyber security events, addressing the cybersecurity talent shortage while simultaneously rebuking and redefining gender stereotypes in the industry. Deidre joined us to share her wisdom on this month’s topic: preparing your team for success at trade shows and in-person events. We started our discussion with a simple question: Why is it important to prepare your team for a trade show event? Why make this investment? Deidre’s immediate response was that events are expensive. Once you factor in the cost of reserving the booth, travel, hotels, and staffing—not to mention the costs associated with time lost in the office, the investment associated with event participation is high. Therefore you need to have a clear expectation of your ROI. Return on investment (ROI) is measured based on clearly communicated goals that are set prior to the event and shared with each team member. After considering the investment and ROI for each event, Deidre reflected on the importance of preparing your staff to maintain and uphold your brand. A team that presents a cohesive look and upbeat attitude in the booth directly transmits this positivity to prospects. The amount of preparation that one does with their team impacts their brand image significantly as staff feels more confident in their roles. Finally, it is important to prepare your team so that they have a clear understanding of how their performance will be measured, again based on your ROI assessment. Setting goals ahead of time will deliver a sense of accomplishment for your team members, improving their results. (We will share more on Deidre’s reflections on the importance of setting measurable outcomes in Part 2 of this Coffee and Conversation recap.) Next, we asked Deidre about some common challenges associated with an ill-prepared team. Deidre started off by focusing on a common pitfall in any trade show preparation: logistics. Teams must be prepared to deal with real challenges up to the very last minute, including making sure that supplies have been shipped and received on time, and that the event organizers are upfront about last minute changes. In light of the inevitable logistical challenges associated with large-scale events, having an ill-prepared team can turn a potential hiccup into a heart attack. Another challenge that Deidre highlighted relates to the type of experiences that inspired her to create Brainbabe. In the technology industry and trade show space, in particular, there still exists a good deal of bias around the role that women play on the event floor. Failing to prepare women for this bias (and in some instances blatant sexual harassment) that occurs in the booth is unfair and puts your female staff at a great disadvantage. The best way to prepare all staff is by offering a full orientation prior to the event. For first-time staffers and long-time folks alike, walking through each detail of the event, the strategy, the schedule and the communications, in addition to setting up a clear leadership structure are key steps to ensuring trade show success. About MEET (meetroi.com) helps B2B growth companies and pavilion hosts effectively leverage at trade shows and in-person 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 at MEET today for a free trade show participation assessment bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Exhibitor Tips, Return on Investment

Trade Show Strategy: Winning the Race Before it Begins

Bill Kenney / June 14, 2018

Your event should alwasys leave an impact to the audience. MEET ROI are one of the experienced trade show strategy planner to help you with all your needs. The late Danish sailor Paul Elvstrøm is a member of a very elite group—he is one of six athletes ever to win four consecutive individual gold medals in Olympic history. This in addition to eight world championships has often left aspiring Olympians and sailing aficionados to ask: what made Elvstrøm so successful? Early in his career, Elvstrøm discovered that the key to winning races was not simply performing well on race day. The key was to develop a strategy. By discovering a technique to more efficiently use his body weight, innovating features of his sailing equipment, and training—relentlessly—Elvstrøm proved that 90% of winning the race took place before it even began. In other words, preparing for the race was more important than sailing it. At MEET, we believe the Elvstrøm ethos applies perfectly to trade shows. Forty plus years of event experience has taught us that 90% of the success that comes out of trade shows happens as a result of the work that is done before the event ever takes place. Defining success at a trade show To understand trade show success, let’s begin by considering why companies attend trade shows at all. Most marketing dollars are spent with the hopes of someday getting face-to-face with target prospects. When optimized, trade shows deliver the most efficient approach to this objective by providing the venue and the audience for these transactions. However, identifying quality prospects in volume can be difficult. In the absence of proper preparation, exhibitors are at risk of squandering valuable time and resources and ultimately coming home with a stack of business cards that have no significance for their business. Exhibitors should have one goal when attending a trade show: to identify and engage high-quality prospects. Achieving success requires strategy, and strategy requires preparation. Step 1: Developing your Trade Show Strategy Plan The first step to developing your trade show strategy plan is to understand your prospect. We’ve found that many companies expand the concept of a prospect in hopes of capturing more leads. In reality, quality prospects make up a very narrow segment of the market. Just as a wider net does not necessarily catch better fish, broadening the definition of a prospect does not necessarily deliver better leads. Prospects of today have three key qualities: a bona fide, self-realized need; the resources to satisfy that need; and a sense of urgency—they need a solution today! Without each these three qualities, a lead does not qualify as a prospect. Remember this in 3-words: Need Money Now Therefore, the first step to developing your trade show strategy plan should be to invest time in profiling your target prospect and aligning your strategies, materials and calls to action to this individual. Knowing your target prospects and possessing the right tools to reach them will not only maximize the value of each trade show experience, it will be the cornerstone of your annual trade show strategy. Why develop an annual trade show strategy? Annual trade show strategies create a steady stream of quality prospects throughout the year, eliminating the lulls and spikes that make growth challenging. There’s a careful balance between wanting to grow and over-investing in creating leads that you can’t follow up on. Thinking from an annual perspective will ensure a steady stream of high-quality prospects while maximizing your investment in each event. All this takes planning—time invested before you ever hit the trade show floor. For more information about what it takes to develop a trade show strategy and common challenges to achieving trade show success, check out our monthly webinar series. At MEET, we believe that trade show strategy planning is not for an elite group of exhibitors. When investing time and resources in a trade show, every company should take the necessary steps to maximize their results. Because why not go for gold. About MEET (meetroi.com) helps B2B growth companies and pavilion hosts effectively leverage at trade shows and in-person 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 at MEET today for a free trade show participation assessment bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Exhibitor Tips, Pavilions, Return on Investment, Workshops and Webinars

2018 MEET Webinar Schedule

Bill Kenney / February 19, 2018

note: hyperlink takes you to the registration or recording January 24 TIRED OF WASTING TIME AND MONEY ON TRADE SHOWS? How to Accelerate Sales February 15 February 20 PAVILION PITFALLS: Move from Greek Tragedy to Business Recruiting HERO! EVERYONE IS NOT A PROSPECT: How to Focus & Win at Trade Shows March 26 FIND AND SELECT THE BEST TRADE SHOWS FOR PARTICIPATION AND EXHIBITING April 27 BOOTH BAIT: Are You Attracting Flies or Prospects? May 15 May 30 Scale Now: Entering the U.S. Market through Trade Shows and In-Person Events 5 Reasons Why Your Salespeople Should Never Be in Your Booth and What to Do About It June 26 Localizing Communication: Connect with and Enroll Trade Show Participants July 26 Preparing Your Team: Setting Everyone Up for Success at Trade Shows and In-Person Events August 22 Leveraging the Entire Trade Show: Uncovering and Exploiting All Components and Added Value September 19 Nail the Follow-Up: Close More Sales October 23 Walking the Trade Show Floor: How to Get Value When You Can’t Exhibit November 19 Making a Kick-Ass Exhibit: Everything You Need to Know About Developing a Great Booth December 18 Benchmarks, Goals, Metrics, and ROI: Everything You Need to Know About Measuring Trade Show Results MEET helps growth companies effectively exhibit at trade shows. Contact Bill Kenney for a complimentary consultation at bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Exhibitor Tips, Return on Investment, Uncategorized, Workshops and Webinars

In Case You Missed It…Tired of Wasting Time and Money on Trade Shows

Bill Kenney / February 5, 2018

Just in case you missed last weeks webinar…Tired of Wasting Time and Money on Trade Shows, here’s the recording. MEET helps growth companies effectively exhibit at trade shows. Contact Bill Kenney for a complimentary consultation at bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Exhibitor Tips, Return on Investment, Uncategorized, Workshops and Webinars

Webinar: Tired of Wasting Time and Money on Trade Shows?

Bill Kenney / January 8, 2018

Tired of Wasting Time and Money on Trade Shows? 8 Keys to Improving Your Exhibiting ROI Wednesday, January 24, 2018 Noon – 1:00 PM EST (U.S. East Coast Time) REGISTER Are you frustrated by poor trade show performance? If so, you won’t want to miss this webinar where we’ll reveal the 8 keys to improving the return on your trade show investment. Everyday business and sales executives complain about their poor ROI from trade shows. Utilized well, trade shows are one of the most efficient ways to fill the sales pipeline with quality prospects. Unlike many forms of marketing that are “passive,” success in trade shows requires “active” engagement and participation. Join us for this webinar where we’ll discuss high-impact trade show strategies such as: Show and mode selection The attraction of volumes of quality prospects Effective team utilization Follow-up and conversion Most important though, we want to answer your questions so please make sure that you come with a few. MEET helps growth companies effectively exhibit at trade shows. Contact Bill Kenney for a complimentary consultation at bill@meetroi.com or +1 (860) 573-4821.

Return on Investment

5 Ways that Event Participation is Like a Gym Membership

iwadmin / September 14, 2017

Whether you are a sponsor, exhibitor or speaker; event participation is the most efficient form of marketing for attracting business-to-business (B2B) clients. All other forms of marketing including cold calls; TV, radio, print, and online advertising; public relations; e-news and search optimized websites are successful when they result in the seller meeting the buyer face-to-face. The founding concept of business events is to put sellers and buyers in the same room thereby significantly shortening the cycle. Events require a different set of skills than passive forms of marketing like advertising where once the ad is placed the seller waits for potential buyers to take action. Event sponsorship, exhibiting and speaking is active. Here are 5 ways that event event participation is active like a gym membership: Start with a health assessment – What are your vitals? Understand your assets and liabilities. Which events have been most productive for you? What tools do you have? How’s your team? What resources do you need? What’s your conversion ratio? Do you have a reliable prospect handling methodology? Set clear and achievable goals – “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland. Do you have an outcome or destination in mind? What is your definition of success? Are your goals in alignment? Are your goals measurable? Are your goals realistic? Are your goals time bound? Create a plan to achieve those goals – “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” Theodore Roosevelt. What work needs to be done? Who will do the work? When does the work need to be done? What resources are needed to achieve the goals? How will progress be measured? What are intermediate successes, milestones? Use the facilities and sweat a little – “80% of life is showing up.” Woody Allen Are you following the plan? Are you doing the activity? Are you consistent? Is your team following the script? Are you focused on quality execution not the quantity of events? Are you prepared for success? Measure your progress – “If it can’t be expressed in figures, it’s not science; it’s an opinion.” Robert Heinlein Are continuously improving? Do you know your value drivers? Are your weaknesses becoming strengths? Do you have a quick reference dashboard to monitor your vitals? Are you able to make decisions based on facts not fads or feelings? Are you able to logically adjust and improve strategy through the year and year-over-year? Success at the gym and through events is remarkably similar. When you have a good plan, the appropriate resources, good discipline and simple methods of measuring results you will gain the desired outcomes. Feel free to download our latest special report. Event ROI Measurement – Top 5 Mistakes Companies Make.