I have seen my share of tradeshows over the last 13 years— as an exhibitor, customer, or just to check out the latest technology or innovation. Today’s tradeshows may seem high–tech—there are even blogs at tradeshows now—but really, the concept of tradeshows goes back to the Middle Ages when merchants would sell their wares in the center of town. People would come from many miles to see, feel, and buy the latest breakthrough. That same tenet exists even today. In my world, people come from all over the world to see the latest printers, workflow and the enormous industry offerings in the printing and publishing world.

Today, the towns are much bigger—mega centers like Chicago, Las Vegas, New Delhi. And the tradeshows are bigger, bringing more confusion, more competition and more noise to places like Dusseldorf Germany where they are counting down to DRUPA held every four years as it will be in 2008. How does an exhibitor stay above the noise and help the customer make sense of it? It all starts with successful tradeshow planning. We all have an opinion, but in reality it comes down to 5 basic principles.
1. Pick the right show
2. Promote the show to your current and new customers
3. Gather leads
4. Follow up with customers at the show and after you leave
5. Critique the show and gather additional feedback

It's not as simple as it seems. Years ago, people just attended tradeshows, today, we target a certain amount of leads with a finite set of dollars. Measurement is a key factor in assessing if the goals were met and best of all, if you made enough money to justify the huge investment.

Planning for tradeshows is an art, although sometimes it feels like you’re a physcist. The ability to create additional space and time can sometimes be daunting. We try to have the right balance of technology, workflow, business development and of course, fun in the Xerox booth. We've moved beyond just showing our wares, we're educating three groups—the owners, influencers and the actual printers themselves. These customers are willing to rise above the noise if you teach them something that will benefit them in their work process and help them grow their business. The NuNess (the motorcycle I'm on in the picture) inspired by Xerox Nuvera, brings a heightened level of excitement in the booth. It inspires the customer to view the applications and want to learn about the production—that makes it all worth it.

Staying on the leading edge makes the industry move to the next level—many tradeshow resources exist including conventionindustry.com and exhibitoronline.com. Many of you have stories about tradeshows- the good, the bad and the ugly. You are free to share your stories or tradeshow related topics with me.

Chris Inzinga
Manager, World-wide Customer Engagement Programs
Xerox Production Systems Group