The Modern Digital Tradeshow

Modern Digital Tradeshow
1
Francis J. Friedman
This book is dedicated to my parents

who taught me the power of perseverance
2
The Modern Digital Tradeshow
ISBN: Softcover 978-1-946478-12-2
Copyright © 2017 by Francis J. Friedman
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Quotations, cites and brief statements made about or from the book and
contained in critical essay, articles in print and/or social media or in
broadcast media may be used only with disclosure of the correct book
title, author and web address for complete attribution
(www.moderndigitaltradeshow.com).
The author and publisher have used their best efforts to verify the information in
this book. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability, loss or risk
which may be claimed to be incurred directly or indirectly as a result of the use
or application of any of the contents of this work.
3
Francis J. Friedman
Tradeshow Industry Future
The Modern Digital

TRADESHOW
The Analog to Digital Industry Transformation

for Revenue and Growth in the
New Customer Experience Marketplace
Francis J. Friedman
4
Tradeshow Industry Comments
Francis Friedman is one of those all-too-rare intellects that can observe

an emerging trend and almost instinctively understand how it will
ultimately impact businesses and the people who rely upon them. Time
and time again, Francis has demonstrated that he is not only a keen
observer of the changing world around us, but he also possesses the
skills and talent to shine a bright light on the best path forward to a
more secure future.
Steven Hacker, CAE, CEM, FASE

Principal, Bravo Management Group
Former President & CEO, International Association Exhibitions and
Events (IAEE)
Francis Friedman delivers the most elegant and well-reasoned response

to those who believe that the exhibition industry as a viable and
privileged marketing channel will prevail despite the challenge from the
very palpable Digital Revolution. He goes further by providing readers
with not only a strategy for competing with business-to-business digital
marketing practices but a blueprint for industry survival. I recommend
that every tradeshow organizer read this book.
Michelle Bruno, MPC, Editor, Event Tech Brief

Writer | Content Strategist | Blogger
Technology Journalist
30-year tradeshow industry professional
5
Francis J. Friedman
The Modern Digital Tradeshow is focused on helping the entire

tradeshow industry and individual tradeshow organizers navigate the
future challenges of the emerging digital economy. It is both a strategic
look ahead as well as a “how to” book to help individual show organizers
become successful digital marketers. Francis has both the in-depth
hands-on tradeshow management experience and the senior consumer
packaged goods management experience to help tradeshow organizers
build winning digital tradeshow brands. The digital-world marketing
challenges ahead are significant. This is one of those must-read books
for our industry.
David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA

President & CEO, International Association of Exhibitions and Events
The Modern Digital Tradeshow is a must read for event organizers

looking for insights to stay ahead of the curve in sustaining event growth
and relevancy in the future. I’ve known Francis Friedman for over 25
years and he has consistently proven to be out front of the event
industry in predicting what is coming down the pike. There is no reason
to believe he won’t be on target with his predictions in the Modern
Digital Tradeshow. More importantly, the advice and guidance he offers
here is invaluable in building a healthy and vibrant event brand that will
successfully compete with other events and for marketing budget dollars
gravitating towards digital channels. Listen to what he has to say. The
future is right around the corner and will be here sooner than you think.
Skip Cox, Chief Executive Officer and President

Exhibit Surveys, Inc. Premier market research company in the event
marketing industry
6
Preface
Recent developments in technology are transforming business and

society in general. Smartphones with millions of free or low -cost apps,
social media and cloud computing are just a few of the drivers
streamlining business practices, increasing efficiency and reducing
costs.
However, these changes are also drastically disrupting business
processes as we know them. Technology and changing population
demographics are creating the need for a whole new paradigm for
many industries.
The tradeshow industry is exceptionally affected. I am in complete
agreement with Francis Friedman’s premise in this book, that the
tradeshow model, as we have known it for the past several decades, is
obsolete and irrevocably broken.
The good news is there are new models that will keep tradeshows viable
for decades to come--that is, for show organizers who have the courage
to make the changes. Those who don’t will be in peril.
In The Modern Digital Tradeshow, Friedman covers in a clear and cogent
manner how and why things are changing and what can be done to
counter and thrive with the disruptions. Detailed discussions of new
exhibition models, examples and case studies are among the numerous
thought-provoking topics included.
This is a very important work and should be a “must read” for all show
organizers, tradeshow managers, road show managers and exhibitors.
Corbin Ball, CMP, CSP, DES Meetings and

Tradeshow Analyst corbinball.com
@corbinball
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Francis J. Friedman
Table of Contents
Preface …………………………………………………………………………………………………7
Introduction .............................................................................................. 9
Chapter 1 ................................................................................................ 19
It’s Over. Time to Move to the Future.
Chapter 2 ................................................................................................ 23
The Tradeshow Industry’s Fiercest Competitor Its Exhibitors
Chapter 3 ................................................................................................ 30
Future Industry Drivers: Demographics, Technology, and Time
Chapter 4 ................................................................................................ 41
Technology Trends
Chapter 5 ................................................................................................ 57
Tradeshows Are in the Attendee Business
CHAPTER 6 .............................................................................................. 64
What Business Are We in NOW?
Chapter 7 ................................................................................................ 71
Branding: The New Tradeshow Focus
Chapter 8 ................................................................................................ 83
Tradeshow Brand Management: Key to theIndustry Future
Chapter 9 ................................................................................................ 93
24/7 Content: The Analog-to-Digital Industry Transformation
Chapter 10 ............................................................................................ 103
24/7 Content: Digital Automation, Machine Systems and People
Chapter 11 ............................................................................................ 107
The Integrated Digital Machine System Exists Today
Chapter 12 ............................................................................................ 116

The Brand Factory: Operations and Sales
Chapter 13 ............................................................................................ 134

The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) Is Marketing
Chapter 14 ............................................................................................ 156
The MDT Marketing Game Plan and Future Challenges
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Chapter 15 ............................................................................................ 174

Implementing the MDT Analog-to-Digital Conversion
Chapter 16 ............................................................................................ 184
“Hacking” the Tradeshow Industry Model
CHAPTER 17 .......................................................................................... 190
the MODERN DIGITAL TRADESHOW
Chapter 18 ............................................................................................ 204
The Disney MDT Case Example: A Customer-Focused, Integrated,
Data-Rich Marketing Machine
Chapter 19 ............................................................................................ 214
End Notes
About the Author ................................................................................. 235
Exhibit I ................................................................................................. 237
Technologies Driving the Future
Exhibit 2 ................................................................................................ 250
This chart can be used by a tradeshow brand team to track its MDT
transformation progress
Exhibit 3 ................................................................................................ 251
The Walt Disney Company Overview
Attachment 1 ........................................................................................ 256

Periodic Table of SEO Skills and Capabilities
Attachment 2 ........................................................................................ 257

Marketing and the Internet of Things closer than you think
Footnotes.............................................................................................. 267
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Francis J. Friedman
10
Introduction
Over the next 10 years, the critical battle our industry will
engage is between our world of in-person face-to-face
marketing and the rapidly emerging world of enhanced digital
direct-to-customer marketing...for control of the customer
experience and sales success.
Our industry is a 1X per year event now finding itself having to compete
in a 24/7 digital-direct marketplace.
As new advanced communications and digital technologies are brought
online, the b-to-b marketing context will change and whoever controls
the customer experience...controls the market.
The Page 3 INTRODUCTION of the Forbes Insights report, Customers for
Life includes the following insight 22
“By 2020 customer experience is expected to surpass product and
pricing as the key business differentiator! So it is critical that
companies orient themselves now towards creating and keeping
customers for life if they expect to remain competitive. ”
Times Change
Thirty five years ago the world operated in the context of the U.S. Postal
Service, Bell Telephone Company, three major TV networks and Time,
Life and Saturday Evening Post magazines. Travel was booked through a
travel agent who hand wrote your tickets.
Thirty five years ago the tradeshow industry was THE center stage in the
b-to-b marketing and selling universe.
Manufacturers exhibited and buyers attended tradeshows for
networking, information sharing, product introductions and order
placement because...there were no other viable options available.
Time and changes in technology and diverse competition have torn down
the protective walls of these once invincible businesses. No more travel
agents writing airline tickets. No more Saturday Evening Post or Life
Magazine. The U.S. Postal Service is having to learn how to compete for
business and the Bell Telephone Company is no more.
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Francis J. Friedman
Today
Today, the formerly protective walls of the tradeshow venue have also
been torn down. The context of the buyer-seller relationship has
fundamentally transformed and is now 24/7 and increasingly digital-
direct.
Today, buyers and sellers can get together anytime they want. The
customer is now in charge and with an almost infinite number of 24/7
buying choices....without the need of a tradeshow or a tradeshow
organizer.
The tradeshow industry in this larger 24/7 digital customer-

direct context of b-to-b marketing:
• Is being moved off center stage by advanced b-to-b marketing
and technology techniques that are delivering information, product
knowledge and buyer contacts on a 24/7 basis
• Is becoming a specialized side stage operating within a larger and
more complex marketing environment and direct customer
interaction platform
Electronic communications have changed all relationship and all
commercial modes.
Institutionalized brands and digital brand “marketing systems” have been
substituted for a sales person and his/her personal book of accounts and
the personal relationships that went with it.
For buyers (i.e., attendees), being face-to-face and having to travel to
be anywhere in-person for almost anything is now becoming more of an
option.
Having to be anywhere in-person will become even more of a personal
option in the future as advanced technology will bring the world to the
individual...rather than the individual having to go to the world.
For the first time, on the evening of Thanksgiving Day 2014, the crowds
that traditionally throng shopping centers waiting to rush merchant sales
floors at midnight on Black Friday were smaller than they’d been in past
years. They were even smaller Thanksgiving Black Friday 2015 and
2016.
Many bargain-hunting shoppers were not in those Black Friday lines
because merchants moved the bargains on-line to the customer.
The customer had the choice to stay home and shop
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online…rather than “have to” go to the shopping center in-person to

get the merchant bargains.
Cosmetic maker L’Oreal, for example, has introduced a computer app
that enables a woman to apply makeup to her own facial image on her
computer screen.
Rather than go to a store and visit a cosmetics counter, a shopper can
now try cosmetic products “virtually”: Stay home, shop online. No
trip to the cosmetics counter for in-person selling.
The context of marketing and selling today has shifted to one in
which the buyer determines the context in which he/she will make a
purchase because marketers are selling customers directly.
This buyer-in-charge trend will accelerate in the future for both b-to-
c and b-to-b marketing due to advancing technology and the
demographic evolution of technologically sophisticated buyers.
The tradeshow industry is generally in self-denial today that its relative
importance vs. its historical importance is being shifted off center stage
into a specialty marketing role.
The tradeshow industry has to acknowledge that marketers have spent
billions of dollars to date building e-commerce systems to engage
customers, capture leads and close sales. Those dollars were not
invested in tradeshows.
Virtual reality and augmented reality marketing systems of the future will
continue to alter historical marketing and selling approaches across all
product and distribution categories.
The tradeshow industry today is still a large and important industry that
in the short term is enjoying an uptick in business coming off of the 2008
recession.
Having said that however, the industry cannot look at this uptick as a re-
affirmation that it can continue with its historical management and
marketing models and ways of conducting business in an ever-increasing
digital world.
Some show owners have seen beyond pasting apps on their analog
management and marketing systems. They recognize the need for new
digital systems in their organizations and have started to implement
initial systems and technology changes.
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Francis J. Friedman
Tomorrow and the Future

Looking to the future, marketers have already started spending
significant amounts of money implementing increasingly more
sophisticated systems. These systems include:
• The ability to track customer and prospect behavior across all
media
• Real-time advanced data collection and analysis
• Predictive marketing technology and data analytics
• In-line, real time, market research techniques
• Video based marketing communication techniques / technologies
• Automated marketing systems to target, engage and personalize a
direct-sell message to customers in real time
• Artificial intelligence (AI) driven “smart systems” to drive customer
interaction
• Artificial intelligence managed “bots” (e.g. speechbots) that
automate marketing functions
• The ability to collect data and measure results as well as assess
potential marketing and media alternatives
Large exhibitors have already started completely digitizing the entire

customer relations and product sales processes into agile and highly
responsive 24/7 systems'.
Large b-to-b marketers are also starting to take their (now-private) back-
end internal data resources and build “customer-facing”, technology
“ecosystems” that will allow b-to-b customers to self-order just like b-to-
c customer now self-orders over the Internet today.
Five years from now, when those customers facing eco-systems are built
and operational, b-to-b marketers will be able to get even closer to their
customers, control the customer experience and comprehensively sell
directly to that individual customer in a highly-personalized approach.
In the future, when these technology and systems changes become
more evident as active b-to-b marketing practices, they will seem to
suddenly jump out at our industry and we can be taken by surprise...if
we do not start preparing now.
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For tradeshow owners in the future, attendees will have a greater range
of choices to decide…”face-to-face” via advanced electronic technologies
and/or “in-person” by leaving home and traveling to a specific venue.
Advanced electronic technology will remove face-to-face as the exclusive
marketing capability of tradeshows. Marketers will also sell face-to-face
via streaming media and advanced VR and AR technologies.
The tradeshow owner’s challenge in building his/her future business will
be the ability to deliver qualified attendees to exhibitors...face-to-face
and in person at a tradeshow site.
The tradeshow industry will also need to step up to the emerging
challenge of building a compelling and unique “industry position” as an
important partner in the evolving world of multi-channel/omni-channel
marketing.6, 234, 235, 236, 239
Going forward, the tradeshow industry will have to demonstrate to the
b-to-b marketing community how it fits as a key partner and community
member in the new multi-channel/omni-channel marketing and sales
matrix.
Small exhibitors and start-up companies will always see tradeshows as
important to their marketing programs. However, our industry cannot
live as a major marketing medium strictly on 10X10 and 10X20 booth
shows. The industry needs to retain large exhibitors as key participants.
With the increasing digital capabilities of our largest exhibitors to market
directly to their customers (including face-to-face) and bypass a
tradeshow, the next 10 years will be a footrace between the tradeshow
industry and its largest and most profitable exhibitors over these two key
issues:
1. Will large marketers be able to keep buyers home and control
the customer experience through robust digital-direct
marketing and selling techniques, or...will tradeshow owners
build high-value engaging events that attendees will decide to
travel to and attend in person?
2. Is the tradeshow industry going to let large marketers define its
future trajectory, or...is the tradeshow industry going to
transform itself into a digital marketing partner and deliver high-
value, attendee-focused products, services and experiences that
large marketers and their customers are going to want to buy?
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Francis J. Friedman
Why I have written this book

I have written this book because the next 10 years in the digital
transformation of marketing, and the increasingly self-directed actions of
our large exhibitors and attendees, will continue to re-define the context
and focus of the tradeshow industry...if we let it.
Our large exhibitors want to do business with us in the future. And they
want us to change as fast as they are to help them succeed with their
new digital strategies and objectives. And, they want sufficient ROI to
justify their public tradeshow investment.
For the tradeshow industry, winning in the future means:

• Re-thinking the design of the products and services we create
and deliver to increase their value
• Engaging and retaining our attendees through delivering high-
value, creative and pro-active Customer Experiences
• Transforming ourselves from an analog logistics management
model to a marketing-focused, high-value, digitally-centered
management model
Historically, we have been an industry of incrementalism and marginal

change...afraid to be bold lest we scare away our customers if we
change too much too fast; and afraid this year’s show won’t look like last
year’s show to our customers.
My purpose for this book is to point a future direction for the tradeshow
industry’s necessary strategic conversations about digitally transforming
itself, our shows, events, products and organizations over the next 10
years.
This book is also about how the tradeshow industry can successfully
compete against robust large-exhibitor, customer-direct
marketing/sales technology usage...and deliver superior customer
experiences that keep attendees on public tradeshow floors.
As an industry looking to the future, we need to transform
digitally...starting now...and build a new product delivery and
customer experience tradeshow management model and
new/unique product platforms.
I am calling this transformation model...the Modern Digital
Tradeshow (MDT)
16
The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) model incorporates the tools,

processes, technology, personnel and management structure
necessary for a tradeshow owner to successfully transform his
business to become a digitally centered, professionally skilled,
MARKETER to compete and win the customer experience challenge as
the future unfolds.
I believe there are only two questions on the table for our industry
today:
1. Are we going to actively digitally transform NOW to meet new
customer needs?
Or...
2. Are we going to incrementalize ourselves (over a long period of
time) hoping the current systems and processes do not need to
change because we’re reluctant to hold the digital conversations,
go through the strategic process of changing business models
and gearing-up to meet rapidly evolving customer needs?
I invite you to jump into the next 10-year future of our industry and join
in the conversation. Agree with me or disagree with me, but please don’t
just sit on the sidelines and talk about it. This is the time to take action
to build our future.
Together we can disrupt, innovate and create the tradeshow
industry of the future.
Together we can create the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT)
www.moderndigitaltradeshow.com
Francis J. Friedman, MBA is president of Time & Place Strategies,

Inc., a New York City based full-service consulting firm to the
domestic and international tradeshow, exhibition, event and
association communities. He works with clients to help them
increase their total performance results.
Friedman is also a well known senior tradeshow consultant, thought
leader and contributor to the strategic development of the industry.
Mr. Friedman is a recognized international speaker, author and
futurist in the tradeshow and events industry through his writings,
speaking and chairing “future-focused” industry task forces and
committees.
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Francis J. Friedman
Prior to entering the tradeshow and event industry Mr. Friedman was a
senior consumer packaged goods brand marketing executive managing
major national consumer brands.
He holds an MBA in Marketing and Production from the Kellogg School of
Management, Northwestern University and a B.S. Degree in Industrial
Relations and Personnel Management from San Jose State University.
(For more detailed information turn to the About the Author section of
this book)
Francis J. Friedman
President
Time & Place Strategies
(212) 879-6400
(917) 5928632 (mobile)
francis@moderndigitaltradeshow.com
tjfconsult@aol.com
twitter.com @Francis Friedman
linkedin.com Francis Friedman
linkedin.com/groups/2527971
facebook.com/TimeandPlaceStrategiesInc
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Chapter 1
It’s Over. Time to Move to the Future.
The historical tradeshow industry is over. Finished. It will never

be the central buying marketplace and order writing venue it
once was.
Tradeshow industry practitioners can never again think about their work
as they did historically. The tradeshow industry can never again be
managed via an analog system as it has been historically. It cannot go
back to the way it was...or even as it is today.
The marketing world is changing dramatically and it’s now time for the
tradeshow industry to move from its analog past to its digital future.
Positive developments in today’s economy and recent tradeshow industry
increases, as part of an overall economic recovery from the 2008
recession, cannot be viewed as a sign that everything is all right again.
Modest industry economic improvement is a Trojan horse that masks the
underlying structural changes the industry must make to remain
competitive over the next decade and to meet rising customer
experience and ROI expectations.
The tradeshow industry is at a tipping point for its future. The sooner it
accepts that its historical management and organizational models are
outdated, disrupted, and have outlived their usefulness, the sooner it
can move on to the new realities it now faces.
Going forward, the tradeshow industry will need to change FROM a
time-date-place, logistics-focused, analog industry management
model...TO the integrated 24/7, digital, attendee-centered, marketing-
focused, Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) model.
The Tradeshow Industry’s Three “Historical Truths”

Three major concepts have underpinned our historical industry core:
• Manufacturers can’t cost-effectively bring their products, services
or equipment to individual customers or directly interact with them
in their place of business, so they bring their products and staffs
to a central venue where customers can easily travel to see and
meet them.
• Tradeshows are where people go for new product
introductions.
• Orders are written at tradeshows.
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Francis J. Friedman
Each of these onetime fundamental concepts is under attack today and

is no longer true. Exhibitors and attendees can easily meet each other
outside of a tradeshow.
New products are introduced all the time and not necessarily at a
tradeshow. Orders are placed everywhere and anytime 24/7/365.
The recent advances in high-speed electronic technology, video
marketing, mobile communications, social media, e-commerce, advance
data collection and analysis tools have accelerated the attack on these
historic industry fundamentals as well as the industry itself.
The tradeshow industry must now face, embrace and engage with this
new disruptive digital reality if it is not to be left behind.
Yes, the Historical Tradeshow Model Is Broken

During the 2008-2010 economic downturn, the tradeshow industry
experienced a deep drop in top-line business and bottom-line profits.
This caused many in the industry to ask: Is the tradeshow model
broken?
If you define the historical tradeshow model as one in which tradeshow
companies just organize shows to bring buyers and sellers together, the
answer to the question is, “Yes!”
But there is a new “e-commerce-format” model emerging in the b-to-b
marketplace and, to succeed in the future, the tradeshow industry has to
be about more than just booths on a venue floor.
The future tradeshow model is about technology, value creation,
branding, marketing, community building and the delivery of superior
customer experiences.
The Tradeshow Organizer Management Model Is Out of Date

The historical “tradeshow organizer” management model is an:
• “analog” production model
• consisting of a series of logistics, freight and venue parts
• in which the parts are “organized” on a “linear” and “sequential”
basis along a calendar-driven cycle
• where each pre-production step marches behind the preceding
step in a straight line over time (say a year) to the actual on-site
opening date.
20
Historical basic metrics are exhibitor square feet of space, cost/revenue

per square foot, pounds of freight and attendee head count.
This historical management model is “closed” to any significant outside
input or influence. Advisory committees, volunteer show committee
members and the tradeshow staff own and control the creation and
focus of the tradeshow.
“Customers” now have limited input to the focus and programming of
the tradeshow the organizer wants them to participate in.
The current organizer model is also “income-limited” because only
show-specific booth space, conference programs, show-related
advertising and sponsorships are sold.
The organizer model provides no additional revenue opportunities
through new product brand extensions, joint-venture relationships,
cooperative content programming or 24/7/365 marketing activities.
Tradeshow Organizers in Today’s Digital Marketing Universe

At present, tradeshow organizers are “bolting on” technology tools
(e.g., apps) to the historical tradeshow organizer analog management
model to try to keep up with the changes in customer technology
usage.
This current practice of technology bolt-on’s to the analog management
model cannot continue because the future is getting more complex and
the analog model can’t support this complexity.
The current analog management model does not have the:

• Organizational bandwidth
• Structural capacity of management and systems
• Research, data and strategy orientation
• Technical/technology capabilities
• Work speed, or
• Staffing or skill-set underpinnings
to meet rising customer experiential expectations and be
successful in the increasingly technology-driven future.
The historical tradeshow organizer management model only entailed

outbound marketing, top down from the organizer to a targeted
audience, three to six months prior to the show. It was a talk-to and
talk-at strategy to sell the show to the market. (Note: in this model,
tradeshow management “owns” the show because it designed it.)
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Francis J. Friedman
Today’s marketing reality is digital, bottom-up in-bound marketing.

Today, in-bound digital marketing is a “personal,” 24/7, video and a
highly interactive community and universe.
In-bound marketing is based on a listen–to, respond-to, involve-with and
invite the target market universe to participate in your/their product or
tradeshow. (Note: in this model, the customers would “own” the
show...because they helped design it)
Going forward, tradeshow owners will need a management model that
enables them to successfully compete on a 24/7 basis for the time,
attention, trust, loyalty and money of potential tradeshow exhibitors and
attendees.
The tradeshow industry will need a high-capacity management “system”
and workflow processes capable of utilizing advanced inbound and
outbound real-time digital marketing strategies and techniques.
It will also need skilled content developers and 24/7 digital systems and
advanced communication technologies to successfully compete with the
marketer-direct competition.
In short, the future product development, marketing and digital
management system of the tradeshow industry is the Modern Digital
Tradeshow (MDT).
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Chapter 2
The Tradeshow Industry’s Fiercest Competitor:
Its Exhibitors
The next 10 years will witness a footrace between tradeshow

owners and large exhibitors to see who will most closely bind
themselves and their brands directly to their customers (i.e.,
attendees), control the Customer Experience....and control the
market.
Tradeshow exhibitors are competing with tradeshows for their
attendees.
Going forward, the tradeshow industry will face increasingly direct
competition from its largest exhibitors to control the customer
experience and enhance their customer’s lifetime value.
These large exhibitors are now implementing advanced in-bound
marketing practices that include digital business systems, e-marketing,
targeted customer service programming and private events.
They are seeking to bypass tradeshows via direct customer order
placement and direct management of the customer experience…no
tradeshow necessary.
Large traditional exhibitors are shifting marketing monies from their
historical media and tradeshow marketing budgets to new digital
customer-centric lead-generating and sales-closing systems and private
events.
Exhibitor corporate marketing units on the “front end” of customer
acquisition are using:
• CRM (Customer Relations Management) systems,
• Customer development sales “funnels”,
• Key account teams,
• Vertical market sales teams,
• Advanced SEO (search engine optimization) Internet search
capabilities, and
• Big da ta ge ne ra te d custome r se a rches a nd c ustomer
satisfaction measurements
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Francis J. Friedman
• “Dashboard” systems to show the integration and

functioning of various sub-systems within their entire
enterprise and then measure and “tweak” the systems
• Data analytics to assess their marketing/business success
• Automated systems (e.g. speech-bots) to close sales
to directly engage their target customer groups, close sales and

create long term direct customer relationships and high ROI for their
products and services.
These “customer-facing”, front-end initiatives are structured to operate
outside of the need for a tradeshow or the services of a show organizer.
Increasingly over time, these large exhibitor e-marketing and social
media programs will become more sophisticated to attract, engage, sell
and control the customer relationship. They will lead to increased direct-
to-customer (DTC) sales efforts to maximize the lifetime-value of their
customer relationships.
Exhibitor b2b customer experience control is especially effective when
they are also able to offer custom-built products, inventory
management, credit/financing and after-sale service.
These emerging corporate digital marketing and customer acquisition
programs built on advanced digital systems also give exhibitors a highly
accurate measure of their own marketing program ROI vs. the ability to
measure their public tradeshow ROI.
Tradeshow industry success in the future will be significantly influenced
by the ability of exhibitors to accurately measure their tradeshow
ROI...AND that their trade show exhibiting ROI is as good as, or close to,
their own internal e-marketing ROI and private events.
B-to-C Research Tools for B-to-B Marketers

Tradeshow exhibitors are becoming more “consumer-focused” as their b-
to-b customers’ expectations are being driven by their experiences as b-
to-c customers.
To better understand what customers want and how they make
purchase decisions, new research tools are being used in both b-to-c
and b-to-b marketing. Several of these important research tools now
starting to be used include: (see details in Note 1 at end of chapter)
• Customer Journey Mapping
24
• Voice of the Customer (VOC)

• Mobile Moment
• Neuroscience Research Studies
The New World of Customer Service and Experience Management

Customer service is the new watchword in marketing. Everywhere one
turns there is a customer satisfaction survey of one sort or another.
From online customer survey links printed on Dunkin’ Donuts cash
register receipts to questionnaires sent out by your health care provider,
customer service has gotten everyone’s attention. 10-14,17,18,19,23
Large retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon are driving the new b-
to-c “customer service experience model” through immediate
satisfaction of consumer needs no matter how, when or where the
consumer expresses those needs...24/7.
Unfolding consumer retail and online customer service trends that are
now resetting b-to-c customer service expectations. They will reset b-to-
b expectations over the next five years to include:
• Mobile e-commerce (also known as m-commerce)
• Order online, pick up in-store within 20 minutes
• Guaranteed, free 2-day delivery
• Return merchandise purchased online to a brick and mortar
store (i.e. Omni-channel)
• Shop online with “talk now” human customer service personnel if
the customer wants to get help/ask questions (Done now via
keyboard; Video-chat will be here soon)
• Shop online via voice with a computer driven, Artificial Intelligence
programmed “chatbot” that will “talk” to you in a human sounding
voice to answer questions, take orders, or perform certain
functions a customer may request
• Detailed purchase history and “favorites” available in customer
purchase records that enable merchants to build highly
personalized and on-target direct-to-customer product offerings
and merchandising strategies
These trends emphasize immediate action, e-based mobile commerce,
customer focus and staying home (no requirement to travel to a
store...unless the customer wants to).
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Francis J. Friedman
These b-to-c customer service experiences also demonstrate the larger

expectations of how b-to-b customers are beginning to want to be
treated and serviced across all of their (cross-channel) b-to-b vendor
purchase experiences.
Tech-savvy millennials who live on their smartphones and tablets are
helping to drive this b-to-c level of immediate customer satisfaction
because they want things at the speed of the Internet.
Millennials, the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, are
influencing and shaping the new b-to-c customer interface. As a
result, millennials will also re-shape the future of b-to-b consumer-
focused experience.
Increasing B-TO-B Systems Integration Will Drive B-TO-B

Consumerism21
Robust information, speed and responsiveness are the characteristics
consumers have come to expect from b-to-c vendors. B-to-b
companies are re-focusing and accelerating their internal systems
integration efforts in this direction to offer their b-to-b customers
these same b-to-c types of consumer responsive experiences.
As discussed more thoroughly in Chapter 15, the large company
systems integration outcome is to increase customer transparency,
customer “self-ordering”, speed of customer service, brand loyalty
and the ability to directly control the customer experience and
customer revenue outcomes.
For larger corporations (e.g., large exhibitors) it is estimated it will take
five years for the initial steps in these “customer facing” systems to be
fully seen in the marketplace.
B-to-b consumerism will potentially have a negative impact on the
tradeshow industry because large exhibitors will increase their systems
ability for the customer to directly interact with them. Through this
digital interaction and customer data acquisition large
companies/exhibitors will have more capabilities to control the customer
relationship and experience...outside of a tradeshow.
Customer Experience Management: Battleground for Attendees

and Exhibitors
Customer Experience Management, and the fight for branded customer
loyalty, will be the future battleground between tradeshow owners and
their major exhibitors as previously noted in the Forbes Insights report.
26
Managing the customer journey and controlling the customer experience

enables exhibitors to:
• Reduce the cost of a lead
• Shape product and marketing efforts in real time
• Build brand loyalty
• Keep the customer away from the competition
• Control revenue generation, and
• Extend the “total lifetime value” of that customer
Corporate digital marketing programs, and their own private events, give
exhibitors a highly accurate measure of their own marketing program
ROI and their cost per lead so they can make comparative investment
analyses vs. public tradeshows.
Attendees are the pawns that will be fought over in the battle
between tradeshow owners and large exhibitors to see who can
satisfy more customer (attendee) needs, wants and desires, and
justify participation ROI, through the delivery of a better, higher -
value customer experience.
Future Impact on the Tradeshow Industry

The tradeshow industry in its future development capabilities will
need to learn how to Manage the Customer Journey for its own
benefit lest it concedes customer experience management to
exhibitors.
The more customer needs that are met directly by exhibitors, the less
incentive a potential attendee must attend many different public
tradeshows to get what he wants.
If the range of unmet attendee needs is reduced by exhibitor direct
marketing and private event programs, the projected result is a
reduction in total number of annual public tradeshow on-site days
needed by the tradeshow attendee universe.
This reduction in total number of attendee on-site days at public
tradeshows is a form of public tradeshow industry shrinkage.
For example, Salesforce.com held its own private customer event with
137,000 registrations. Assume only 50,000 people showed up and they
each spent two days at this event.
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Francis J. Friedman
This translates to 100,000 people-days not on public tradeshow floors.

This is a form of tradeshow industry shrinkage if Salesforce.com had
exhibited in tradeshows instead of holding its own private event.
With competition from its own large exhibitors increasing, MDT

owners will have to deliver compelling value that easily and
convincingly answers these three attendee questions:
• “Why should I attend your tradeshow?”
• “What are you going to do for me that is so compelling I
HAVE TO attend your tradeshow?”
• “What happens to me or my career if I do not attend your
tradeshow?” What is the penalty for staying home?
Over the next five years, as b-to-b companies (i.e., large exhibitors)
become more b-to-c-like and “customer-focused,” tradeshow owners
will have to convincingly demonstrate why public tradeshows should
remain an important component in the (large exhibitor) b-to-b
marketing mix.
Robust attendee participation, and positive attendee customer
experiences, are what will keep major exhibitors invested in the public
tradeshow industry.
For tradeshow owners to succeed going forward, attendee
demand-creation through creativity and high-quality VALUE
delivery...of content and experiences not generally available to
attendees anywhere else...will be THE competitive factor that
keeps attendees, and therefore large exhibitors, at public
tradeshows.
Note 1
• Customer Journey Mapping: Research studies that track and
assess every step in the customer’s journey to make a purchase. This
technique enables marketers to better understand the offer they make,
the process the customer goes through to decide to make the purchase
and the various steps they go through to actually make the purchase.
From this/these analyses, marketers learn how they can improve the
product, the types of information/advertising the customer
needs/wants and how to improve the various steps and customer
28
interfaces needed in the purchase process itself. It also enables them

to reduce the number of steps in the purchase process.
• Voice of the Customer: Research studies that seek to
understand how customers express themselves relative to products
and services; and how the customers express their needs/wants to
marketers so that marketers are listening to the customer in
developing product design, marketing programs and the customer
journey process.
• Mobile Moment: is defined by Forrester Research as...”a point in
time and space when someone pulls out a mobile device to get what
he or she wants immediately, in context.” The further industry
meaning is that at this moment there is an opportunity for marketers
in the decision to be made as to which site to visit and/or for a
marketer to deliver a message or an ad to that mobile user. This
“moment” is the competitive screen that marketers are seeking to
“win” by having the user visit a specific web site or accept a specific
ad.
• Neuroscience: Studies of brain function related to product appeal and
marketing programs. Marketers are seeking to understand how the brain
responds to various stimuli so products and marketing programs can be
tailored for higher levels of “brain appeal.” For example, the smell of
warn cinnamon pushed into the air around CinnaBon pastry shops in
airports increases store sales.
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Francis J. Friedman
Chapter 3
Future Industry Drivers: Demographics,
Technology, and Time
Technology advancements and their rapid embrace by varied

demographic groups now drive marketing practices and service
expectations that potentially can negatively impact the
tradeshow industry
The tradeshow industry is not initiating its own structural

transition to incorporate fundamental shifts in customer
demographics and the advanced use of technology in business
management and customer marketing.
Instead, it is being driven to change by the larger marketing
community and its large exhibitors who are increasing their
investments in advanced digital and mobile technologies and
customer acquisition strategies and tactics.
Looking to the future, the tradeshow industry must not only face and
engage, but also learn to incorporate emerging audience demographic
changes and their rapidly accelerating technology utilization trends.
These new technology and technology usage trends are driven by the
younger emerging demographic segments of the population who are also
heavy advanced technology users.
Larger exhibitor marketing teams are also employing these new
technologies to directly engage and sell customers (DTC) and, in turn,
are fundamentally changing the structure and professional practices of
marketing and sales.
Unless and until the tradeshow industry adopts high technology
marketing practices itself, the use of these advanced technologies and
the emerging direct-to-customer corporate marketing focus will have a
negative impact on the position of the tradeshow industry as an
important factor in b-to-b marketing.
The tradeshow industry must now play catch-up to the changing digital
marketing landscape through a fundamental shift in its historical
business model and product configurations.
The tradeshow industry must now incorporate the effects of major
demographic shifts and their rapid technology adoption to re-focus its
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basic business model and marketing strategies to embrace advanced

technology usage as the bedrock of its future success.
Changing Demographics Are The Future
Changing population demographics and their advanced technology usage
are driving constant change. The future will not stop changing. There
will not be a resting place where everything is “normal.” The future is
constant disruption and innovation. 24, 25, 26
The U.S Census Bureau has updated the 2010 Census to a projected July
15, 2015 population breakdown as shown in the chart that follows.
Age % Population Digital Status Age (Years) % Population

(Years)
0-9 12.6 % Digital Native 0-19 25.6 %
10-19 13.0 Digital Native 20-39 27.1
20-29 14.1 Digital Native 0-39 52.7
30-39 13.0 Almost Digital Native
40-49 12.8 Digital / Traditional
50-59 13.7 Traditional / Digital
60-69 10.9 Traditional C-Gen
85+ 2.0 Traditional C-Gen
Est. U.S. Population 7/15/2015………. 321,418,820

U.S. Census Bureau
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Francis J. Friedman
A Digital Native is a person who has grown up with digital technologies

such as a smart phone, tablet or game set. Digital is their way of life. A
Traditional person grew up with pen, paper and typewriter. They may
use a computer but it is a learned skill and not what they grew up with.
A C-Gen (Connected Generation) person is one who uses a cell/smart
phone and possibly learned to use a tablet (especially in order to speak
with the grand kids).
As shown above, 52.7% of the U.S. population is under the age of
40….AND…they are highly computer and digital technology literate.
Stated another way, over 160 million people and their daily use of digital
equipment, tools and communication technologies are fundamentally
altering the U.S economy and business marketing practices through their
active and on-going use of these digital technologies.
These 160 million people are the core force driving Digital Disruption on
a constant basis.
Digital disruption will never stop because each succeeding generation
becomes even more technologically sophisticated than the generation
that preceded it because it grows up in a digital household.
Digital disruption is also a global trend. There will be no digital disruption
pause in the foreseeable global economy and or marketing practices
where technology will stabilize and take a rest so everyone can catch up
with it.
The tradeshow industry must now recognize the significance of this
global population base of digital disruption and take immediate steps to
convert its business model and marketing practices into the Modern
Digital Tradeshow.
Millennials, Continuing Demographic Shifts, Constant Technological

Change
At present, the marketing industry is focused on Gen Y, the millennial
generation (roughly 20 to 30 years of age). Behind them is Gen Z
(roughly 10 to 19 years of age) and right behind them is Gen Alpha (0 to
9 years of age).
Accounting firm PwC expects millennials to constitute 80 percent of its
global workforce in 2017. Hartford Insurance division Aetna projects
millennials will represent the majority of its work force by 2020. Another
Hartford division, Hartford Financial Services Group, estimates this
demographic will make up 75 percent of the entire U.S. workforce by
2025.
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Some workforce experts believe this rapid demographic change will have
a “tsunami” effect in terms of organizational composition, technology use
expectations, speed of career movement and cross-generational
employee friction and issues.
The Gen Y generation is highly technology-literate, involved with social
media and driving the use, application and development of today’s
advanced technologies.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are also highly tech-literate and involved, thanks to
the Gen Y-driven on-going technology developments.
Over the next ten years, these two succeeding generations will become
even more tech-literate, “hard core”, Digital Natives. They will be
technically innovative and demanding of technology’s capabilities as they
grow into adulthood and move into the workforce...because they will
have grown up with rapid technology advances as part of their childhood
experiences.
Today, Gen Y lives on its smartphones and hand-held devices, trusts the
Internet to meet its needs, looks to its peers for social approval and
expects immediate response on a 24/7/365 basis
The Gen Y generation is in a hurry, doesn’t trust an “establishment” it
thinks is corrupt and wants to jump to the head of the line as quickly
as possible.
They are multi-taskers, easily distracted, have short attention spans
and communicate via short text messages and pictures (e.g., think
Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest here).
This generation also shares its experiences with peers via traditional
personal conversations as well as digitally.
Gen Y is now moving into lower-level marketing and management
positions where they will have influence over how and where money is
invested-or not invested-in tradeshows, events or e-alternative
marketing opportunities.
This is also the generation our industry is looking to hire as new
employees. They will bring to our industry the same characteristics as
described above.
Over the next five years, as the demographic generations continue to
change, show managers will find themselves having to constantly look
for new ways to make their shows relevant to e-connected attendee
audiences and exhibitor executives on a show-by-show basis.
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Francis J. Friedman
These audiences do not want what they perceive as boring tradeshows.

If they want in-person events at all, they want to be engaged, surprised
and catered to.
Show managers must be prepared to change their shows significantly –
and constantly – to accommodate rising customer experience
expectations as these younger generations increase their representation
at tradeshows and in marketing manager jobs.
As the future unfolds, however, Gen Z will have different technology and
engagement expectations vs. the millennial generation. In turn, Gen
Alpha will have different technology and engagement expectations vs.
Gen Z.
These generations behind Gen Y will be even more technology-
proficient, have even more diverse digital experiences and require
more and different ways to be engaged...especially face -to-face.
These following generations will be more technologically enabled and
have a higher level of discretion in deciding to attend an event in-person,
stream it or skip it all together.
Think about what’s taking place now: In addition to potty training,
children today also get digital training. Parent iPads now include early
child learning software that children in diapers now use by themselves to
be entertained and to learn things.
Formerly physical-only dolls and action toy characters now have
companion digital tablets that provide advanced graphics, interactive
stories and keyboards or joy sticks to enable the child to control and
interact with the on-screen action.
K-12 classrooms are turning into digitally-connected learning centers
where children are trained on computers throughout their formative
education years. They are keyboard-literate and digitally savvy.
Today, infant, child and teen “play” is not outside running around with
their friends in a school yard. It’s indoors on a screen, highly interactive
and digital.
Continuing childhood interaction with high-quality technology is changing
brain neurology and shaping adult usage of technology. It is also
changing expectations of what technology can and will do for them in
meeting their need for interaction, entertainment, commerce and leading
their lives.
On the older side of Gen Y, the C-generation (i.e., the connected
generation) is a growing byproduct of this Gen Y era. Here, people of all
ages and demographics (in which grandchildren Skype with Grandma)
34
are now increasingly connecting to the Internet and utilizing social

media.
C-generation is also a high-growth aspect of today’s expanding
demographic adoption and broadly-based societal utilization of advanced
digital and media technologies. C-generation is adopting the technology
characteristics, and immediacy expectations, of Gen Y.
Tradeshow managers must build “constant change” into their
fundamental thinking and segment their audience development business
models if their shows are to stay relevant across this ongoing shift in
demographics, advancing technology usage and enhanced customer
experience expectation.
It’s a Smartphone World

The smartphone has become the personal digital tool that now connects
everyone to the world…and the world to each individual.
Through advanced global computer networks and databases, each
smartphone has the potential to reach any other smartphone on the
planet, visit the media of any country in the world or find any
information since the start of recorded history now stored on global
servers.
The smartphone has changed our perception of time and personal
privacy. The new 5G technology will add even more changes.
The Smartphone has become the gateway to a “mobile-oriented,”
24/7, always connected and mobile-transaction orientated lifestyle.
Mobile usage is expected to reach 90 percent of the U.S. populatio n
by 2020.
The phone number of each smartphone has also become a significant
marketing asset. Marketers want to be able to communicate/customize
their messages directly to individual consumers and get them to make
purchases on their smartphones.
E-marketing and e-commerce via mobile capabilities are trends already
rocketing ahead in how information is obtained, advertising is placed and
goods and services are ordered via online and mobile devices.
Google has re-oriented its website search ranking system t o rank
mobile-friendly sites ahead of less mobile-friendly sites. The
marketing community is shifting its marketing orientation to
create mobile-friendly formats.
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Francis J. Friedman
New mobile formats such as smart watches, smart clothing, virtual

reality headsets and other types of wearable computing devices will
usher in different-sized screen shapes and formats in the future.
TIME and NOW: New Drivers of Society and Our Business

The old saying…time and tide wait for no man…is even more true and
important today than ever.
In the old days of the Pony Express people were “patient” and would
wait 2-3 weeks for a letter to arrive.
Today’s society will not wait for time or tide. We want it NOW!
Time and patience has been re-defined because of the instant speed of
the smartphone and the Internet.
Today, Time means Now…because technology has shortened the time
something can be done to almost instant satisfaction.
Technology has also changed our neurological expectations as to when
our “desires” can be satisfied. It has changed “when” we can expect
something to be done or accomplished…to expecting it to be done NOW.
The increasing speed of technological delivery has also changed societal
time expectations for when we can be angry or frustrated that things are
not happening fast enough to “satisfy” us.
As Internet and smartphone speeds increase in the future, frustration
and anger will continue to rise as the society shortens its time
expectations for neurological satisfaction based upon its experience with
faster and more comprehensive digital experiences.
Time = Now. Now = Instant Gratification

Today’s society wants what it wants NOW! Instant Gratification. No
waiting, no delay and no lag time to get what it wants. We want to press
a computer key and have the response we want, NOW.
NOW and INSTANT GRATIFICTION, will be the continually rising
emotional expectations of the larger society over the next ten years. As
Internet speed (and bandwidth) goes up it also increases response
speed (“NOW-speed”) exponentially (i.e. think 5G and 6G cell phones).
High bandwidth also enables the capability for neurologically high
quality, personally tailored, multi-media engagement…at Now-speeds.
This capability increases customer satisfaction and helps build brand
engagement and brand loyalty.
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At the b2c level today, retailers are measuring customer service based
on how quickly they respond (Response-speed) to a customer email or
posting on a social media site.
Customer service response-speed and customer satisfaction surveys are
becoming standard practices today…so far at retail and service
businesses. They will become standard practices in the b2b sector also
within the next 10 years
Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Gen Beta (who are not yet born) that follow the
millennial generation (Gen Y) will grow up with a NOW-speed reference
frame for time and emotional equivalency.
This Now-speed expectation, which will be global as well, will also
entirely re-shape the character of the world community and its inter-
relationships. In the past, patience has been a virtue. In the future
NOW-speed world, patience will once again become a virtue.
The global tradeshow industry must build NOW and Now-speed into its
fundamental rationale for being, its product design and its marketing
programming. The Modern digital Tradeshow (MDT) model presented in
this book is the major step in this direction.
Future Strategic and Technology Drivers of Marketing and

Tradeshows
Historically, there was a need to travel to a specific location to meet a
person or see a product demonstration. Tradeshows fulfilled these needs
because there were no other reasonable options available to buyers and
sellers.
Ever advancing digital communication capabilities and graphic
technologies are eliminating the “need” to “have to travel” to meet
another person or see a product demonstration.
Today for example, GoToMeeting.com, video conferencing services to
the desktop and streaming mobile video eliminate the “need” and
expense to “have to” travel to attend an in-person meeting.
The Cisco Systems WebEx platform provides comprehensive video
communications capabilities to link buyers and sellers in real time and
on a global basis.
The current introduction of Virtual Reality and Virtual Presence
technologies will, over time, provide marketers with even more
engaging digital tools to directly engage (DTC) customers and control
the customer experience…without the need for a tradeshow.
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Francis J. Friedman
Over the next decade, as discussed in Chapter 4, technology will

provide increasingly robust options that eliminate the “need” to “have
to” travel. Over time, these new technologies will meet even more
basic meeting, communicating and product demo needs, at a lower
cost, with a customer-centric focus, on a 24/7 basis…and not “have
to” travel.
The challenge for the tradeshow industry will be to build products,
services and experiences that are so valuable attendees and
exhibitors will “want to” travel to the show site and consume the
experience in person and face-to-face.
Technology Adoption Will Drive the Tradeshow Industry

Key points the tradeshow industry must understand about on-going
technology adoption and utilization in the larger society and in the b2b
marketing world:
• Companies and exhibitors are investing increasing amounts of
their marketing budgets in advanced technologies and,
consequently, those technology dollars are not available for
investment in tradeshows.
• Through technology, marketers are seeking to more tightly bind
themselves to customers, meet more of their needs (e.g.,
inventory financing), lower costs, build long-term brand loyalty
and increase marketing ROI.
• Marketers will compete with tradeshows through their own
customer acquisition programs, direct marketing, social media,
private events and e-commerce programs.
• By employing technology to satisfy attendee information and
purchase needs and at Now-speed, exhibitors reduce attendee
“needs” to attend tradeshows.
Over the next few years, new forms of software capabilities, customer
engagement apps and advanced media formats (e.g., holograms) will re-
shape marketing tactics and media engagement...outside of tradeshow
floors.
These new, yet to-be-invented, technologies will then have a continuing
influence on technology-based, marketer-direct, customer engagement
strategies and programs.
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Enhanced Neurological Stimulation

With the roll-out of many of the above trends the tradeshow industry will
need to understand the attendee’s evolving expectations of “neurological
stimulation” and engagement when they attend a tradeshow.
Especially for younger e-involved demographic groups, neurological
stimulation is a large part of their measure of engagement. Due to their
short attention spans, this group in particular needs continuous re-
engaged and the ability to interact electronically with its environment.
The opposite of neurological stimulation and engagement is boredom.
Tradeshows with row after row of inert 10x10 booths and inert exhibitors
do not meet these advancing neurological criteria for stimulation and
engagement. They are boring.
The tradeshow industry must recognize that, because of the larger
societal “background” levels of digital engagement, the on-site
tradeshow experience must equal or exceed the level of neurological
stimulation and engagement attendees find elsewhere in their daily lives.
The Future Challenges to Face-to-Face In-Person Tradeshow

Success
The above changes in demographics and technology outline the
multiple and simultaneous changes that will accelerate over the next
decade in how information, media engagement and digital experience
is being consumed by an ever-changing technology-sophisticated
customer base.
This is the emerging 24/7, anytime and anywhere, “almost real” world of
digital media, virtual/augmented reality, advertising, marketing and
customer relationship management that the tradeshow industry will have
to compete with, and in, as we move to the future.
In a Now-speed world, the continuing tradeshow industry challenge will
be delivering in-person attendees and justifying exhibitor ROI.
The historical tradeshow industry structure of booths on a tradeshow
floor, once a year, created in a linear sequential production process
across an annual calendar cycle, will not continue to deliver tradeshow
products that thrive in these changing engagement protocols
As marketers and large tradeshow exhibitors build their own robust
media and engagement capabilities, and move to market directly to
customers (DTC) and control the customer experience, historical
tradeshow producers can potentially lose their core industry relevance.
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Francis J. Friedman
To counter this growing digital, direct-to-customer (DTC) competitive

threat, show management must focus on delivering high-quality, high
value, compelling and engaging experiences for both attendees and
exhibitors...that are not generally available anywhere else.
Without moving to embrace the Now-speed digital future and the
Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) concepts, market relevance and
survival will become key issues for historically managed tradeshows.
The Future is Digital.

In 1967, Marshall McLuhan wrote about media's impact on our society.
He famously stated that the “medium is the message” to describe the
role of each medium as an actor in the society, based simply on the fact
of its existence.
We once again must acknowledge McLuhan’s underpinning thinking as
we witness the current and ongoing gigantic societal disruptions
wrought by new and advanced technologies...merely because of their
existence.
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Chapter 4
Technology Trends
Emerging technologies, technology applications and

technology based systems are driving changes in the
marketing world and in turn the tradeshow industry.
It is no secret that todays and tomorrow’s marketing world is adopting

advanced technologies at an ever-increasing rate. Both the b2c and b2b
marketing communities now operate in an “on-demand” business
environment with the customer in charge of the demand.
Marketers in both the b2c and b2b industries are using technology to
collect customer data, analyze the customer and deliver messages and
products specifically customized for individual customers.
Technology is being developed and used to make each customer feel
that the marketer knows who she is and has developed and delivered
the exact product that customer needs or wants and when and where
she wants it.
This trend is called…the individual customization of a mass delivered
product (or service).
Technology is being applied to enable marketers to understand what
potential customers want and then can create and deliver high levels of
customer service, build brand loyalty and control the customer experience
over many purchase cycles and long periods of time.
Lifetime Customer Value (LCV) is an important business concept and metric
because it is far cheaper to keep an existing customer over long periods of
time than have to prospect for and land a new customer.
Keeping a customer for succeeding purchase cycles extends the LCV for
that customer, enables the marketer to control the customer experience
and enhances long term customer profitability.
Marketing Technology Systems

As more technology is developed over the next ten years, larger and more
sophisticated integrated marketing systems will be developed and
deployed. These marketing systems will automate, in real time, many
marketing functions that are now individual manual steps in a total
marketing program.
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Francis J. Friedman
For example, automated data analysis of the words used in a blog post
would be matched with reader responses. Based upon this in-line analysis
the blog post would automatically be re-written and re-posted to increase
the use of words and concepts that scored high with readers in the
previous posts. No copy writer needed here. All this activity would be
marketing system generated.
It is the linking of the individual digital piece-parts for managing an
enterprise into an integrated system that provides the speed and
sophistication necessary to power that enterprise to superior results.
Digital technologies harnessed into advanced marketing systems are also
driving those systems to produce superior results in terms of customer
relations, sales and market share.
Systems provide speed and responsiveness to changes in market
conditions, competitive dynamics and new market opportunities.
Integrated digital marketing systems are not now a fact of life in the
tradeshow industry. They are becoming a fact of life for large and upper
mid-sized exhibitors who are using them for customer-direct marketing and
sales campaigns.
The MDT digital transformation will move tradeshow owners to build their
own integrated marketing systems and effectively market their shows to
that shows larger community.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), a Master Game Changer

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the development of advanced software that
mimics human thinking and problem solving. Using AI software, activities
that formerly required a human to manage them or respond to outside
stimulus such as questions or machinery operation, can now be managed
by AI driven computers and systems.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is starting to be extensively employed in many
applications to make the application and its processes seem “smart”. The
self-driving car is one example of Artificial Intelligence.
AI is starting to be used to develop a whole series of “bots” (i.e. robots)
that will be employed in marketing systems to automatically execute
various functions, lower costs and increase customer service.
“Chatbots” is one emerging “bot” example. A chatbot is a software program
that has human voice speech generating capability and is programmed to
deliver spoken messages and answer spoken questions.
42
The software program has various alternative messages built in based upon
the expected questions the “chatbot” would be asked by the respondent.
The AI software will understand the spoken voice of the respondent
question that it is asked. The software program will then switch the chatbot
voice to the pre-programmed answer to that question.
An example of this technology now is when a customer calls a credit card
company. A voice answers the call and asks the caller for the credit card
number and what the caller wants to accomplish…and offers a number of
option possibilities based upon the high-volume questions callers typically
call to ask.
The software program behind the voice then directs the caller to whichever
option the caller has expressed via the voice option. Options here include
“outstanding balance”, “next payment date” or “speak to a representative”
among other pre-programmed caller options.
The future of chatbots includes such things as outbound telemarketing,
customer service inquiries, operating instructions for equipment,
educational program delivery, etc.
Bots operate 24/7, lower costs, increase the speed of response and collect
data for further analysis and decision making. Bots and other “smart” AI
driven software systems will become integrated into advanced marketing
systems as important adjuncts to the humans who manage the system.
Strategic and Technology Trends Ahead

Twenty-one major strategic and technology trends have been identified
that will drive the marketing and product development universe going
forward.
These major trends, and technologies yet to be developed, will undergo
increased speed of development and implementation over the next ten
years as daily elements in both b2c and b2b marketing and customer
experience management.
As noted above, these major technologies and many more minor and
adjacent technologies that feed off-of or into these major technologies,
will be incorporated into highly responsive automated marketing and
customer service systems to control the customer experience and
increase Lifetime Customer Value.
New applications (i.e. apps) and innovations on the major technologies
discussed below will serve as “booster rockets” to further advance the
speed of implementation and usage of these advanced major
technologies.
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Francis J. Friedman
The customers want what they want NOW. Advanced technologies and
their integration into automated on-line marketing systems will provide
marketers with the capability to give the customer what she
wants…NOW.
These advancing technology trends and automated systems in turn will
drive the tradeshow industry itself as the industry must keep up with
what is taking place by its major exhibitors who want to control the
customer experience by themselves…no tradeshow.
Going forward, the tradeshow industry must understand these trends
and their potential negative impact on face-to-face marketing. This
understanding is necessary for the industry to build new event formats
and marketing approaches to keep shows as an important element in the
larger exhibitor’s total marketing mix.
The tradeshow industry must learn how to build new technologies,
marketing practices and advanced marketing systems into its own future
business development strategies and practices.
Competition between major exhibitors and the tradeshow community for
control of the tradeshow attendee is already under way. The marketing
world will deploy even more advanced technologies over the next ten
years to directly control the customer experience and not have to exhibit
at or attend a tradeshow to do it.
As advanced technologies are rolled out over the next ten years, major
exhibitors want to be “at choice” about exhibiting in public tradeshows….
rather than “have to” exhibit. They will use advanced technology and
automated marketing systems to achieve this outcome.
As these advanced technologies roll out, the tradeshow industry must
clearly demonstrate to large exhibitors its compelling rationale and ROI
for why these potential exhibitors should invest in public tradeshow
exhibiting as part of their total marketing mix.
EXHIBIT 1 is a detailed discussion of each of these 21 major strategic
and technology trends. The reader is encouraged to read Exhibit I.
For brevity’s sake, these 21 strategic and technology trends are
summarized here into nine groups and discussed below.
The reader is encouraged to ponder how these trends can have both a
negative and positive impact on producing, marketing, exhibiting in and
attending a tradeshow.
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1. Content
Content has become the lifeblood of marketing and customer
development. FREE content has become the “bait” that draws people to
a marketer. FREE content has also become a way for a marketer to tell
its brand story to potentially interest, and then engage, various customer
universes. 30,86,90
Content includes every medium and every form of information delivery
from articles, white papers, streaming video, etc. Content development
and delivery, especially mobile content delivery, are specialized skills that
must be added to tradeshow teams.
Over time, content will continue to grow even more important,
elaborate, inventive and dynamic as THE key marketing tool in the
customer experience battleground. Content strategy and its dynamic
execution will become one of tradeshow management’s most important
functions and technical skill sets in the future.
2. Networks
Networks, including WiFi, cable and satellite will continue to expand and
upgrade the quality, speed and throughput of their digital signals and
expand their global coverage areas. Giga speed Internet and mesh
mobile networks will be build out.
5G speed WiFi networks (up from the current 4G global platform)
recently introduced in South Korea will be global by 2020. 5G means
higher-quality images, two-way interactivity, 3D broadcasting, etc., and
at multiple times faster speeds. Marketers will have increasingly faster
and more robust networks to deliver high-quality digital and multi-media
sales messages and video interaction with customers on a direct basis…
Cloud computing is the distribution of data and files across a broadly
based computer network that is accessible through any viable Internet
access protocol. Faster networks will enable cloud computing to grow
significantly in the years ahead. The smartphone and mobile computing
will increasingly enable mobile workers to rapidly access large amounts
of data stored “in the cloud” via their small hand-held smartphone, tablet
or other portable device.
3. Mobile
Mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.) will get smarter and
offer more services as time goes on. New microchips, digital screens and
advanced software will increase the “smarts” of mobile devices. Faster
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Francis J. Friedman
Internet and WiFi networks (e.g., 5G) along with cloud computing will
enable smartphone users to be more productive and more deeply
connected to the digital world than ever in history.176,206
New forms of device interface will positively impact the utility of mobile
devices. Instead of typing on a mobile device, voice commands, gesture
control and other input techniques will replace or augment the current
touch typing methods.
Mobile marketing and mobile commerce is expected to grow substantially
in the future...with expanding marketing and advertising budgets to
directly connect marketers with customers. E-commerce is accelerating
via mobile devices.
Smartphone apps will continue to evolve in the future at accelerating
rates. Applications we cannot now conceive of will be invented and
applied to mobile computing in the decade ahead. These will significantly
increase mobile interaction.
A reported 37% of millennials have no other phone than a smart phone.
Wearable computing is another form of mobility that will grow in
importance. Products such as digital watches, smart wrist bands, medical
monitoring gear and computers built into clothing will evolve the human
mobile interface. Through mobile technology society will become even
more of a 24/7 connected world.
The future IS mobile and marketers will need to be squarely in the
center of mobile platform social media, marketing, sales and customer
service.
4. Social Media
Social media platforms, especially on mobile devices, now drive the
customer conversation and engagement with marketers and peer-to-
peer. Looking to the future, new social media formats and capabilities
yet to be developed will grow more pervasive, utilitarian and
fundamental to daily life. Increasingly sophisticated social media
marketing strategies and advanced mobile platforms will enable b-to-b
companies to lower the cost per lead, maintain customer relationships
and expand their sphere of influence....without the need for a
tradeshow. 100,116,117,122
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5. Data
Data, its collections analysis and ongoing application in business
decision-making, is one of the more significant trend changes for the
future. Using data to understand what is taking place and to measure
results enables marketers, and tradeshow managers, to make better
decisions, reduce risks and increase profitability. “Data farms” and
“real-time marketing” are future data trends, as are issues of data
privacy and data security . 45.46.152,269
Big data is the use of mainframe computers to analyze large volumes of
data to find trends and patterns. It is used in marketing to analyze large
customer databases to find out how customers think and act and then
build new marketing programs.
BDaaS (Big Data as a Service) is the scaled-down version of big data
where specialized software and independent service bureaus are able to
provide data analysis for smaller databases and smaller projects.
Tradeshow owners will use BDaaS to analyze smaller file size tradeshow
data.
Metrics is a term applied to capturing and analyzing specific types of
data used to measure various elements of a marketing program’s
results.
Data and metrics, and their use to plan and manage a tradeshow, are
new concepts and practices to the tradeshow industry.
Over time, the tradeshow industry will be forced to adopt data
collection and metric assessment techniques and best practices. On -
staff data analysis skill sets will need to be included as integral to
the management and marketing of a successful tradeshow.
The biggest challenge to the tradeshow industry will be the analysis of
data, determining what the collected data means and then converting
those results into specific plans and programs.
Retaining outside data analysis and marketing service bureaus and hiring
new skills into the industry will be necessary to help the industry
overcome this challenge and turn data into action.
It is the monetization of data that will help accelerate its capture and
development in the future of the tradeshow industry.
The IoT (Internet of Things, discussed below) will generate significant
amounts of data that can be sold to marketers to enable them to directly
target customers based upon those customers’ actual recorded data.
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Francis J. Friedman
6. Media and Graphics

Advances in graphics/pictures/video/sound will leap forward over the
next five years. The consumer market now has the 75-inch 4K curved TV
set with a picture refresh rate of 240Hz for a high-quality picture and
WiFi Internet connection.
Through increased cable and Internet speeds via the in-home media
portal, people will have a daily “media” interface experience that is rich
and engaging...and which sets customer expectations for “engagement”.
The introduction of high quality Virtual Reality experiences will also raise
the bar on what “engagement” means as well as what it means in the
on-site tradeshow experience. The 8K TV set was introduced at the 2014
NAB Show. 8K TV is like a 3D picture but without the glasses.
Games/Massively Parallel Games are driving the development of
advanced graphics and interactive “game playing experiences.” Massively
parallel games enable tens of thousands of global players to play the
same game at the same time, irrespective of global location. This is a
form of mass engagement without leaving home.
Game builders are now building games in virtual reality. They will also
add 3D and holograms into their future game experiences, which, in
turn, will re-set consumer engagement expectations. Game based
platforms, and especially VR game style platforms, will become future
commerce platforms.
7. E-commerce
E-commerce will continue to increase in importance and volume via
advanced technology applications and customer experience management
strategies. Marketers who now take large booth footprints at tradeshows
will increase their direct-to-customer and online marketing and sales
campaigns to drive e-commerce by engaging and converting leads to
online sales.
Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is a growing trend that will only
increase in importance and volume as time goes on and the larger
society become more mobile-enabled (i.e., smartphones, tablets and
portable devices). Marketers, both b-to-c and b-to-b, are gearing up for
increased 24/7 business on mobile commerce platforms.
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8. Virtual
Virtual worlds, virtual reality and virtual commerce are all advanced
communication and experiential technologies enabled by the advances in
network speeds, graphic techniques, artificial intelligence (AI) and
neuroscience. These virtual techniques eliminate the need to be
physically present to communicate with someone else, experience an
event or engage in a remote activity.
Virtual worlds are “worlds” and/or societies that only exist online. All
activities are created in software and all communications and activities
are conducted electronically. For example, fighting a drone war in
Afghanistan from a control panel in Arizona is a virtual war. As noted
above, game producers and already building their next round of games
on virtual reality platforms.
“Bitcoin” is a recently introduced virtual currency being pushed as a valid
currency for global commerce. Bitcoin, and other virtual currencies to
follow, are a considered the future potential for virtual global commerce.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Samsung have announced
a trial to broadcast NBA games to viewers in China, using Samsung
virtual reality headsets that provide a 360-degree virtual experience that
is like being in the stadium where the game is physically played. The
outcome for the NBA is to develop a 1-billion-person Chinese market for
NBA-style basketball...and the revenue stream that goes with it.
Augmented Reality is the digital presence of a person who is remotely
managing that presence from a different location. Today, these
technologies resemble an iPad mounted on a stick atop a small remotely
controlled Segway style platform. The “operator” can interact via picture
and voice on the iPad with people in the remote location. CES 2015 had
one exhibitor sign up for booth space via an augmented reality platform.
Future tradeshow attendees or exhibitors could be augmented reality
participants.
The connected world includes the IoT/IoE (Internet of Things,
Internet of Everything). This means anything and everything is
connected to the Internet and can be managed remotely. “Things”
such as door locks, home security systems, factory machines, etc.,
would have microchips with software and be managed by computer
or smartphone over any Internet or WiFi connection. Intel is
introducing these latest generation microchips now.
M2M (Machine to Machine) is an advancing system’s technology where
machines communicate with and manage other machines. The IoE
mentioned above makes it easier to extend the current M2M technology
to the entire world of connected devices.
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Francis J. Friedman
9. 3D
3D includes graphics, 3D printing and holograms. These emerging
technologies provide the electronic delivery of a “reality” and life-like
experience. 3D printing enables a company to send a product sample to
a prospective customer as an electronic file where the customer can then
“manufacture” that part in their own facility via a 3D printer.
With 3D printing, customer service representatives armed with custom
electronic parts files can rapidly advance the buyer-seller relationship. By
providing the buyer with electronic files of samples and custom designs
for 3D printing the seller can give the buyer exactly what she
wants...without the need to visit a tradeshow or leave her office to find
the product sample she wants.
Holography is about to undergo a tremendous explosion in
technological advances and cost reduction. HologramUSA is a U.S.
company that now owns the technologies invented by Uwe Maass and
his former German company, Musion.
HologramUSA technology has produced large-scale holographic
experiences such as Narendra Modi, running for election in India, giving
real-sized holographic speeches at supporter rallies in India; Jimmy
Kimmel Live guest interviews on television; and holographic concert
events.
Holography can also be used to recreate performances, speeches and
presentations from films and videos of people who have passed away.
Imagine a “live” performance of a speech by Sir Winston Churchill or
President John F. Kennedy.
The H+ startup company is crowdsourcing funding to launch its desk-
sized holographic consumer product that will sell for under $1,000 retail.
In addition to connecting to the Internet, this unit will connect to a
smartphone for face-to-face holographic streaming.
In the next few years, holography will be used in entertainment,
tradeshow booths and keynote presentations, etc. Within a decade,
homes and office environments will have low-cost holographic
technologies for lifelike, face-to-face communications.
No need to travel. Time and distance will not be an impediment to
“almost life-like” communications, marketing and selling via on-line
holographic communications.
Haptics is a newly emerging technology that adds “remote touch” to
computer screens and devices via computer software that drives
embedded mini-motors in devices and screens.
50
Haptic technology enables a device or computer screen to mimic the

“touch” sensation of something located somewhere else, or embedded in
the device and driven by software. For example, feeling the keys of a
keyboard on a flat tablet screen. Feeling the touch of a wooden piece of
furniture from a picture on a computer screen.
Devices can have unique types of buzzing, massaging or nerve
stimulation built into software programs to emulate touch in a way that
has previously not been available. For example, clothing that has haptic
capabilities can, via WiFi, receive the same sensations as a hockey player
being hit with a hard body check if the hockey player is wearing sensors
to record that hit and broadcast it. Watch the hockey game at
home...feel that body check.
Haptic technologies are projected to provide such capabilities as
teaching surgeons what a scalpel feels like in an operation via software
and a haptic scalpel. Virtual sex via clothing with appropriately-placed
sensors and related software is also projected.
Disruption 2016: The Dawn of “Immersive Marketing”

I have labeled 2016 as… “The Dawn of Immersive Marketing.”
The launch of VR (Virtual Reality) headsets and VR based media and
content began to explode in 2016 and usher in a new disruptive
inflection point in marketing and selling. I am calling this disruption
“Immersive Marketing”. It’s the next evolution of digital media and
digital marketing.
By way of example, the New York Times has announced its own VR
Internet channel where it will deliver more in-depth and person-featured
stories shot in VR media. It will provide subscribers with a $ 20
cardboard “head set” into which they place their smart phone for VR
viewing.137
Logging on to the NYT Internet VR channel will access a video stream
that is shot with VR technology. This technology will download a two-
picture video stream to the smart phone. Looking through the headset
the human brain will integrate the two pictures to provide the viewer with
an in-depth and immersive experience of the NYT content.
The fall 2016 television industry TV programming schedule offered a taste
of VR TV programming. Ten years from now TV network VR programs will
be a matter of daily occurrence.
At present, the tradeshow industry sees VR as almost a novelty
employed by exhibitors in their booth as part of their in-booth
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Francis J. Friedman
presentation. This is a short-term use of VR and is the dawn before the

storm that is about to break on marketing and on our industry.
Well-designed 360 VR programs can have the viewer interact with the
VR media through his own in-screen avatar or with various controllers
wired into the VR media stream. Sensors can also be employed to enable
the viewer to “feel” what is going on in the VR event. For example, VR is
being used to train surgeons with special scalpels so the surgeon can
both see and “feel” the operation.
Marketers will rapidly adopt this technology because it is more engaging,
dynamic and fun than 2-dimension video or flat art work in print based
media. It will facilitate marketers enabling the potential customer to
“experience” the marketer’s product within their own office.
As Immersive Marketing adoption expands in 2017 and into the future
costs will come down and vendor technical/marketing skills will increase.
This means that marketers will be able to deliver Immersive Marketing
on a regular and low cost basis.
For example, here is a large-exhibitor home-office selling scenario that is
plausible soon.
A corporate sales person is having a sale call with a potential customer.
The customer wants more information. So, the sales person directs the
customer to put on their VR headset, go to the company VR channel
where she downloads one or more 360 degree VR clips to immerse that
potential customer in the product, give a complete product demo in the
client’s specific application need and answer the customer’s specific
questions.
After this “in-my-office immersive experience”, will that customer want
to walk around a tradeshow floor seeing static displays? With this
salesperson-to-customer immersive product experience delivery
capability...will that marketer want to stand around in a booth at a
tradeshow waiting for a customer to stop by?
Another immersive technology that is becoming more readily available in
the 2017 is holography. Small, desktop holographic devices are
undergoing rapid development and in the next two years will be
available for mass market distribution. Holography will become another
high touch, high engagement technology for marketers.
Additionally, the expansion of augmented reality and virtual presence in
the 2016-2017 period is already expanding the range of capabilities
marketers have to engage customers and immerse them directly in the
marketer’s products. These technologies and their usage will expand and
encourage higher quality and more impactful customer direct marketing.
52
The combination of Virtual Reality, augmented reality, virtual presence,

Holography and 3D printers will increase the arsenal of tools and
techniques marketers will have available to engage, immerse and directly
sell customers.
These are the tools and techniques that will increase the battle between
large exhibitors and their increased digital capabilities vs. in-person
tradeshows over the control and management of the customer
experience.
10 Years from Now: The Importance of IoT and Its Data

Technologists are projecting that 10 years from now the Internet of
Things (IoT) will see the number of devices attached to the Internet
grow to the equivalent of six devices for every person on the planet.
(Note: Technologists are optimistic, it may take a bit longer.) (See
Attachment 2 for a comprehensive discussion of IoT) 118-121
These connected devices could include everything from light bulbs to
refrigerators to cars to industrial machines to a person’s heart
pacemaker. The range of devices embedded with tiny sensors
connected to the Internet is almost infinite.
Right now, everyday items such as web sites and online purchases (to
name a few) are part of the early stages of the IoT because they all are
connected to, and transact through, the Internet.
A major point to understand here is that these current items and future
devices generate data. That data can be monetized.
The other side of IoT data is that it can potentially track every element
of a person’s life. This will raise issues related to privacy, who owns the
data, the selling of personal data, etc.
Monetizing “data” will become the commercial “gold” of the IoT
technology expansion.
For example, data collected by a refrigerator manufacturer on the
number of times a refrigerator door is opened and closed can provide
an indication of the amount of food consumed in that household. Thi s
data is valuable for identifying high food-usage households.
This refrigerator data could be sold to a local grocery store so it can
direct-market to that high food-usage household with special offers to
shop with that store. No wasted marketing money trying to find a high-
value customer. This represents IoT exact customer targeting.
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Francis J. Friedman
LG has recently introduced a family sized refrigerator with a 21 inch,

digital, wifi enabled “family portal” (i.e. small computer) on the front
door. This refrigerator also has three cameras on the inside as well. A
family member can go to the grocery store, use their smartphone to dial
up the cameras on the refrigerator, see what’s inside and then know
what groceries to shop for.
Another example, if a b-to-b equipment manufacturer received constant
IoT data from one of its machines in a customer location, it would know
how that customer was using the machine, when it needed repair or
replacement parts, the consumables on the machine, etc.
With this usage data, the manufacturer would know exactly how to
service and re-sell that customer and extend that “customer’s lifetime
value” (CLV). With the customer data, this manufacturer could then
control the customer relationship and customer experience based upon
the actual data it receives.
Data, and the tracking of data, is part of what the IoT future will be all
about. Target customer data is worth paying for as it translates into “no”
wasted marketing money because the marketer only markets to pre-
qualified IoT prospects.
In the b-to-b world, IoT data acquisition and the ability to “know” the
customer will accelerate dramatically over time as increased systems
capability comes online to handle and analyze large volumes of
constant data flows.
High IoT data “knowledge” about a customer enables b-to-b
marketers to tightly customize their account management and
customer relations programs, and thereby bind themselves to each
specific customer. In this way, they seek to manage and control the
customer experience.
If, through IoT data and advanced customer service (because of this
data), the marketer is already controlling the customer experience,
the question becomes...why do they need to exhibit at a public
tradeshow?
The Future Challenges to Face-to-Face In-Person Tradeshow

Success
With the roll-out of many of the trends noted above – especially
advances in consumer electronic entertainment experiences at home and
in-office business communication experiences - the tradeshow industry
will need to understand the attendee’s evolving expectations of
54
“neurological stimulation” and engagement when they attend a

tradeshow.
Especially for younger e-involved demographic groups, neurological
stimulation is a large part of their measure of engagement. Due to their
short attention spans, this group needs continuous re-engagement.
Virtual reality will be an especially important medium to these younger
demographic groups.
Advanced mobile technology and apps provide younger demographic
groups with neurological stimulation by interacting electronically with
their environment and friends. The emerging designs in smartphone
devices will include the options for mobile VR immersion.
The opposite of neurological stimulation and engagement is boredom.
Tradeshows with row after row of inert 10x10 booths and inert exhibitors
do not meet these advancing neurological criteria for stimulation and
engagement. They are boring.
It will be important for the tradeshow industry to recognize that,
because of the larger societal “background” of at-home and business
technology advances and media engagement techniques (e.g., think 360
degree virtual reality games), the on-site tradeshow experience must
equal or exceed the level of neurological engagement attendees find
elsewhere in their daily lives.
As technology sophistication and media programming evolve in the
future, the potential attendee will have more discretion relative to
attending in person or staying home and getting what he wants
electronically…. NOW.
Tradeshow managers must deliver on-site engagement and
experiences...not generally available at home or in the office...to
encourage potential attendees to leave home and travel to a specific
time.
The historical tradeshow industry structure of booths on a tradeshow
floor, once a year, created in a linear sequential production process
across an annual calendar cycle, will not continue to deliver tradeshow
products that thrive in these changing engagement protocols
As marketers and large tradeshow exhibitors build their own robust
media and engagement capabilities, and move to market directly to
customers and control the customer experience, historical tradeshow
producers can potentially lose their core industry relevance…and cease
to exist.
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Francis J. Friedman
Without moving to embrace the digital future and the Modern Digital
Tradeshow (MDT) concepts, market relevance and survival will become
key issues for historically managed tradeshows.
Going forward the tradeshow industry must…
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Chapter 5
Tradeshows Are in the Attendee Business
The tradeshow industry must shift from its historical focus on

the exhibitor to now focus on the attendee.
Today, attendees can easily get what they want on a 24/7 basis
through advanced technology and without the need for a
tradeshow or a tradeshow “organizer”.
Tradeshow industry managers must now recognize they are in
the attendee marketing business.
Without attendees, there are no exhibitors. Without attendees,
there is no show.
Exhibitors do not (really) buy booth space. They pay tradeshow owners
for the opportunity to meet, engage with and sell to pre-qualified
attendees.
Attendee delivery is the value-add tradeshow management provides to
exhibitors...and this is what exhibitors really pay for.
No tradeshow manager with a significant, qualified attendee base ever
had to worry about selling exhibitors into his or her show. It’s only when
there are not enough attendees, or enough appropriately qualified
attendees, that show managers have trouble selling exhibitors into a
show.
Exhibitor satisfaction and their continuing tradeshow participation and
revenue contribution will ONLY come from the ability of show
management to deliver the appropriate target-attendees and in
appropriate numbers to justify exhibiting investment ROI.
The tradeshow industry must shift its orientation from an exhibitor-
focused, logistics, place-based, parts-assembly, analog management
model industry...To a...24/7 digitally centered, attendee focused,
marketing and strategy-driven industry.
The new key tradeshow management focus will be on marketing to, and
delivering, attendees into the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT).
Yes, the industry is paid by exhibitors...but try getting paid if

there are no attendees.
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Francis J. Friedman
The Rise of the Exhibitor-Specific Attendee

The larger marketing industry has accepted and shifted to acknowledge
that “the buyer is in charge” of the relationship.
Marketers’ use of media, advertising, web and social media has changed
focus to finding, capturing and engaging buyers and potential buyers as
individuals and as “communities”.
With new mobile devices and digital technologies, the customer is now a
24/7 buyer able to choose from an almost unlimited number of vendors
competing for his/her business.
During the Y2K, economic slowdown between 2001 and 2004, the
tradeshow industry experienced a fundamental shift to the “exhibitor-
specific attendee.”
The shift occurred when exhibitors started holding private events and
show managers initiated “hosted buyer” programs. At that time, these
formats were viewed by the tradeshow industry as novelty executions vs.
a “regular” tradeshow.
Nevertheless, this shift by exhibitors to attendee focus disrupted an
industry that formerly delivered a mass attendee count, and instead
turned it into one with the responsibility of having to deliver exhibitors
their specifically targeted attendees.
The shift to the exhibitor-specific attendee has had three major
implications for tradeshow and event producers to:
• Change their management model focus from floor plans and
logistics to the on-floor delivery of qualified or specific individuals
to exhibitors.
• Lea r n h ow t o de l iv e r in di vi d ua l c us tom iza t io n of a
mass-delivered product to attendees so that an attendee gets
what he or she wants or needs at that tradeshow or event.
• Understand that the quality of the attendee experience
determines the future success of the tradeshow and, in turn,
sells exhibitors into future shows and events.
Attendee Demand Creation: The New Tradeshow Management

Focus
Creating attendee demand for a tradeshow or event is the most
important function for tradeshow management to focus on as the
industry moves to the future.
58
Creating attendee demand means show management must build and

deliver compelling attendee value.
Building compelling value into the design and focus of tradeshows,
meetings and events will create the demand that delivers qualified
attendees and justifies exhibitor ROI.
There are two types of value:
1. Intrinsic value, and
2. Amenity value.
Intrinsic value is based on “core” values, or high utility values, held
by the target audience. These are “compelling” values that make it
easy to answer the attendee’s question, “Why should I attend your
tradeshow?”
Amenity values at a show are “nice to have” values such as cocktail
parties, golf tournaments and on-site networking events. These
amenity activities enhance a show and make it a more welcome
experience for attendees.
Most attendees would agree that if they were to send a Request for
Travel to their boss for a tradeshow where the only purpose was to
attend the on-site cocktail party, that request would be deemed not
compelling enough to justify the time and money to attend that show.
Amenity values round out a show. Core values deliver
compelling justification to attend.
Look at value this way. Crowds of people stand in line, and in the snow, at
shopping centers at 11:50 p.m. Thanksgiving night, on the eve of Black
Friday. They are waiting to take advantage of tremendous values (i.e.
discounts) the merchants are offering.
When the doors open, people rush into the shopping center in frenzy,
demonstrating by their “attendee” behavior that reduced-price shopping
is a compelling core value to them.
Apple computer and iPhone users stand in line (sometimes also in the
rain and snow) for days before a new Apple product goes on sale. Why?
Because of the value Apple fans place on being first to own the new
device and the peer-level bragging rights they get in being the first
acquirers of a new Apple product.
So, here is the question a tradeshow manager must ask him or

herself: “Is the value in my show so compelling, and the
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Francis J. Friedman
demand so great, that attendees will stand for hours in the

snow to be the first ones in the venue when it opens?”
Tradeshow demand creation via compelling value will require
sophisticated market and media research. This is what each show owner
will need to understand about his attendees in order to build compelling
value into an event:
• What do attendees value, how do they value it and how do they
want it delivered?
• How do they make decisions to participate in that given
tradeshow?
• What do they expect from their participation experience at that
show?
• What are attendees willing to pay the show owner to create and
deliver to them?
Demand creation will also require the employment of advanced

communication and media technologies by tradeshow management. The
start of this trend is visible now with engagement concepts such as
customized apps, webinars and hybrid events.
Over the next five years more tradeshow specific applications,
techniques, message segmentation and personalization will need to be
created by show management to keep pace with attendee preferences
and rapidly evolving technology engagement tools and modes.
Demand creation will also require that tradeshow teams have more
expertise in the subject areas and industry of each show they produce.
In-depth industry knowledge will enable the show team to more
intimately relate to its industry and build a “more-expert,” higher value
and compelling show and show experience.
The speed of technology change, and highly robust at-home and in-
office digital Internet engagement experiences for attendees, will raise
the stakes for show management to “have to” deliver compelling value
and an outstanding attendee experience…not generally available
anywhere else.
This new imperative to create attendee demand through compelling
value will not be easy for show management to deliver quickly.
Going forward, show management must employ market and media
research, value assessment and measurement research, target audience
community “listening and interaction” and idea testing (with metrics) in
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building and maintaining an event’s strong, high-value, attendee-demand

profile.
Tradeshows Are Curated Content

Content is the new currency of marketing and commerce. In this new
content universe, information, education, product demos, networking
and comparative product shopping are all forms of content integral to a
tradeshow. These experiences of a tradeshow, and their utility for both
exhibitors and attendees, also fit the definition of “tradeshow content.”
However, to accommodate rising customer expectations, tradeshow
managers must now understand they are producing “curated content”.
88,256,261,262
All the features and aspects of their show is “curated content”

because tradeshow managers design and build their shows from
scratch with a purpose in mind for the attendee experience they will
produce and deliver.
Exhibitors are content. So too are education programs, cocktail parties
and other social event programming. All the programming of a
tradeshow is curated content because show management builds the
show and adds those elements as content.
The future will require tradeshow managers to deliver increasingly high-
quality, compelling, curated content.... especially content (and that
includes experiences) not available elsewhere.
The more a tradeshow manager curates and produces high-value
content, the higher its perceived attendee value, the stronger the
attendee demand and the greater the exhibitor revenue stream and
overall show profitability.
Tradeshows Are Thought Leaders

The tradeshow industry has not historically thought of itself as a
“thought leader.” The reality of what the industry does, however, is
exactly that...thought leadership.
New products, new concepts and educational programs at
tradeshows make the industry a natural hotbed of thought
leadership.
Looking to the future, embracing the concept of thought leadership
means the tradeshow industry must act like thought leaders and produce
creative and compelling products, services and experiences.
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Francis J. Friedman
Individual shows and show managers must step up their show

programming and demonstrate thought leadership in their design and
execution. Delivering thought leadership accelerates a show’s stature in
its industry, increases its value and makes it a compelling investment of
time and money for industry stakeholders.
The higher a show’s value as a thought leader, the higher the demand
for that show and the greater the success of the show for all
stakeholders.
Quality thought leadership will produce expanded community support
and participation, a higher growth rate, more opportunity for new
product extensions and increased ROI for the show owner.
Commodity tradeshow executions and commodity programming will not
survive. Because there is nothing unique to offer in an increasingly
competitive marketplace commodity programming will not justify future
event attendee participation or exhibitor investment.
Tradeshows Are Adult Education Venues

The tradeshow industry has not viewed itself as part of the “adult
learning” community but, in fact, it is. Most major tradeshows, meetings
and events feature “education sessions” of one sort or another.
Too often, potentially profitable tradeshow adult education opportunities
are lost due to poor awareness of adult education principles, weak on-
site programming and under-qualified speakers.
The need for adult education and hands-on training in society will only
accelerate in the future. The profit potential in fulfilling these adult
education needs is already evident with the current crop of for-profit
online universities and e-training sites.
The tradeshow industry has the potential to enhance its role and
increase its revenue stream as an adult education facilitator.
Through high-quality, high-value adult education programming, the
industry can increase attendee demand and open opportunities for new
branded product development and expanded revenue streams.
Tradeshows Are Intellectual Capital

Tradeshows have not thought of themselves as “intellectual capital”
while, in fact, they are.
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By bringing together a community of thought leaders, educational

opportunities, key industry stake holders and the products and smarts of
the industry suppliers and vendors, a tradeshow can represent the
intellectual capital of the industry it serves.
Through the selection of exhibitors, educational programming, keynote
speakers and on-floor activities, a show owner can “sculpt” a show to
represent the greatest intellectual capital the industry can produce. In
doing this, the show owner also significantly increases the “value” of that
show.
The higher the intellectual capital value in show design, content and
broadly based representation of its industry, the easier it will be to attract
and retain attendees. And, the more attendees...the more successful that
show.
‘If We Build It, They Will Come’...NO Longer Works

For some time, the industry has operated under the philosophy that...if
we build it, they will come. In developing international markets many
time this concept still works because a show exists and there are few
other choices available.
The time for that philosophy in the U.S. and developed countries has
now passed. The mere existence of a tradeshow or event will not
necessarily make it a success.
Future tradeshow success will go to shows and events where show
management recognizes it must create attendee demand through the
marketing and delivery of compelling value...and in delivering products
and experiences tailored to their target audience…and that are not
generally available anywhere else.
Generic shows and generic marketing programs will not survive in the
decade ahead.
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CHAPTER 6
What Business Are We in NOW?
How we think about ourselves and the world

leads to how we make decisions and act
Self-perception drives the way people and organizations think and act.
Position and function in an industry also have an impact on how we think
and act.
To use a football analogy, an offensive tackle has a different perception
of his job than a defensive tackle. Each plays the “tackle” position on a
football team, but each has a different point of view about requisite skills
and how he should think and act to help his team win games.
Event Professional’s Self-Perception

Different event market segments also represent different aspects of self-
perception. These differences lead to how they think of themselves, how
they function, their market position, who their customers are and how
they make decisions and act.
Here’s a comparison of consumer packaged goods and major event
categories with their self-perceptions.
Industry Self-Perception
Consumer Packaged Goods Marketer
Tradeshow Organizer
Public Show Producer
Concerts – Events Promoter
Web Site Community-Tribe Builder
The consumer packaged goods industry self-defines as “marketers.” The

public show industry self-defines as “producers,” concert developers are
“promoters” and web site professionals are “community-builders.”
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While each of the above segments of the event business brings people
together at a given time and place, they have defined themselves
differently. In the public space, for example, public shows have
“producers” and concerts have “promoters.”
Tradeshow Industry Organizers---Historically in the Freight,

Drayage and “Place” Business
The tradeshow industry has self-defined as an “organizer.” This makes
sense as our industry historically, and even today, has “organized”
freight on a venue floor.
A major function of the current tradeshow industry model is “organizing”
the exhibitors on the tradeshow floor at a place. Pounds of freight, days
of move-in and move-out, and cost/revenue per square foot are still
major metrics of “organizing” a tradeshow.
The problem is that the current tradeshow industry model and self-
definition have not varied much since wagons traveled across Europe
centuries ago to major faire grounds in Germany and other major trading
centers.
Freight and thinking about organizing exhibitors’ freight are still skill sets
that are important for the industry. However, in looking to build the
industry of the future, drayage and decoration can no longer be the
major component at the center of how the tradeshow industry thinks
about itself.
Historical Tradeshow Industry Self-Definition

Historically, the tradeshow industry has defined itself as follows:
“We’re in the business of bringing buyer and seller together.”
In the past, this industry self-definition adequately represented the
tradeshow industry as there were very few other ways for buyers and
sellers to get together. This definition worked perfectly when the
industry had a monopoly on access to information and products.
By “organizing” freight and exhibitors in a venue at a given time and a
given place, the tradeshow industry could bring buyers to the venue and,
therefore, bring buyers and sellers together.
Now, however, there are significant alternatives for buyers and sellers to
get together…outside of a given time or a given place.
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Due to technology advances and new marketing practices, the reality is

that buyers and sellers can easily meet and close sales 24/7 without the
need for a tradeshow at a given time and a given place.
Historical Tradeshow Self-Definition Is Under Attack

Now, due to technology, buyers and sellers do not have to ship freight to
a tradeshow venue to do business.
Now, and even more so as the future unfolds, buyers and sellers do not
need a tradeshow professional to “organize” their face-to-face
relationships or product information exchanges.
Today, the tradeshow industry is struggling to reconcile its historical
freight-based “organizer” self-definition and historical analog
management model with the new digital technology-driven, 24/7 reality.
The community that used to…have to…exist around a tradeshow
because there was no other choice has now, due to technology-driven
alternatives, fractured apart into many choices and sub-communities.
A specific tradeshow is no longer the compelling venue that it once was
in the structure of its industry.
As the digital future continues to unfold, tradeshows will not be the
“have-to” attend or exhibit-in b2b cornerstones they once were.
Advances in such digital technologies as virtual reality, augmented
reality, hepatics (i.e., touch) and 3-D printing, coupled with advances in
commercial logistics and freight management (such as Amazon.com)
services, will significantly reduce the importance of the “have-to” attend
aspect of tradeshows in the unfolding future b-to-b marketplace.
The tradeshow fundamental “promise’ to the exhibitor, in exchange for
the exhibitor’s money, is that the tradeshow will deliver significant
numbers of qualified attendees to the exhibitor.
As technology and large tradeshow exhibitors digitally collaborate
outside of the tradeshow venue, it is becoming more difficult for the
“organizer” to convincingly justify ROI to the exhibitor…merely by the
existence of the tradeshow.
Tradeshow Industry Is Now in the VALUE Creation and

MARKETING Business…Not the Freight Business
With advanced technology hammering away at the attendee’s “have-to”
attend aspect of the historical tradeshow, the industry must shift its
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focus from freight and “place” to marketing its products and services
24/7 to pre-qualified audiences and larger target communities.
Looking to the future, the tradeshow industry must see itself as product
creators and MARKETERS…not organizers.
The “product” the tradeshow industry may create and market could be in
the form of a tradeshow and related activities…or another component of
its tradeshow brand.
As product creators and marketers, using modern marketing tools, the
industry must move to active demand creation for its products and
services rather than merely “setting up” a show floor and opening the
door.
As marketers and product developers, each tradeshow and/or event will
be freshly created and effectively marketed each time it is held. Its
marketing focus is to create high levels of attendee awareness and sales
conversion by engaging the tradeshow brand and attending the show.
With digital competition increasing the buyer-seller technology options to
attend in-person or stay home, the tradeshow industry must embrace its
commitment to marketing because…No attendees, no tradeshow.
It is for this reason the industry must re-define itself as a value product
creator and MARKETER
Industry Self-Perception
Consumer Packaged Goods Marketer
Tradeshow Marketer
Public show Producer
Concerts – Events Promoter
Web Site Community-Tribe Builder
Fundamental Industry Shift in Focus

From To
Logistics and Freight Value Creation and Marketing
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Modern Marketers Build Community

The future of the tradeshow industry is all about attendees. Today’s
modern marketing focus is as much about creating and building
“community” as it is about creating products and services.
Modern marketers are spending significant amounts of money on
technology and marketing systems to build brand-loyal communities.
Social media is all about building community.
Today’s modern marketer does not rely on the historical tradeshow
model to build its market community. Today’s modern marketer is
building his own brand community outside of the tradeshow, using
digital tools, social media and advanced marketing techniques and
practices.
It is the fact that modern marketers are building their own
communities that is giving tradeshows such competition for attendees
and control of the customer experience.
It is the aggressiveness of modern marketers to build their own
communities and seek to control the customer experience that will
force the tradeshow industry to accelerate its own evolution in
marketing and business development.
To evolve to the future as a marketing and product development
industry, the tradeshow industry must refocus its self-definition in a
way that encompasses tradeshows as the center of a brand-marketed
community.
Web-Based Communities Do Tradeshows; Tradeshows Must

Now Expand Out to Build Web-Based Communities
As previously noted, web sites are community builders. Their focus is on
attracting and meeting the needs of their communities. They do this on a
365-day basis with content, activities, contests and, yes…tradeshows.
It’s easy for a web community owner to launch a tradeshow…because he
already has a pre-qualified audience and he knows what they want.
Web sites like blogher.com, BizBash.com, marketingprofs.com and
cmi.com (content marketing institute) all started life as on-line-only
communities. They built their web businesses as content platforms for
the different subject areas they specialized in.
As appropriate, each of these sites then introduced in-person tradeshows
and events as part of their total community engagement offerings. It
was easy for these sites to launch and promote their respective shows
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because they already had a broadly based and engaged community they
were interacting with on a 24/7 basis.
Tradeshows, on the other hand, have not built ongoing and engaged
“communities.” Tradeshows have built individual show “transactions”
with lists of people in their industry…show, by show, by show.
After the show, the organizer goes away for nine months and starts
relationship-building from scratch all over again. This historical organizer
process is very expensive and not cost-efficient in acquiring customer
loyalty.
Continuing community development and ongoing interaction and
engagement have not been a part of the “organizer” model.
The tradeshow industry now finds itself having to figure how to build out
from its current list-based show model to create and grow larger-scale
active and engaged communities that support each specific show.
The tradeshow industry future attendee growth and success is based on
building loyal communities around each show on a 365 day basis.
The success of the tradeshow industry future must be focused on
marketing and community building.
The New, Modern Tradeshow Industry Self-Definition

The tradeshow industry must evolve beyond the traditional industry statement
of…” We’re in the business of bringing buyer and seller together.”
The new and expanded tradeshow industry self-definition should be:
“We are in the business of building communities and

marketplaces for ideas and commerce.”
A tradeshow industry converted to a community-building focus, and
executed on digital marketing platforms, can be seen by marketers as
being consistent with their own community-building and digital
marketing goals and strategies.
This new community focus not only re-casts the tradeshow industry into
a community-building, web/digital marketing model, it also facilitates the
industry by expanding tradeshow brands into 24/7 non-tradeshow-
related products and services.
The new tradeshow industry self-definition and digital model also
enables the tradeshow industry to be seen by marketers as business-
building partners. This re-definition and focus also becomes a more
attractive investment for marketers and large exhibitors…because the
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industry will then be going in the same community and customer

development direction they are.
The new self-definition helps to focus the industry’s implementation of
new marketing and product development concentration, new
management practices and forms of organization. It also adds new
digital skills and processes to the tradeshow team as technology
applications and marketing discipline evolve going forward.
The old analog tradeshow model and self-definition of bringing buyers
and sellers together is only a 1X/year occurrence. It does not have the
“bandwidth” to incorporate the robust digital tools, focus and modern
management techniques necessary for modern marketing practices.
The future promises rapidly increasing speed of change. To keep up with
the rate of future change, the tradeshow industry must move to a
marketing focus on a digital platform as embraced in the Modern Digital
Tradeshow concepts presented in this book.
A major key to moving to the Modern Digital Tradeshow is the adoption
of the underpinning focus of the new industry self-definition:
“We are in the business of building communities and
marketplaces for ideas and commerce.”
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Chapter 7
Branding: The New Tradeshow Focus
People specify and buy brands. People form

relationships with, and loyalties to, brands.
A physical tradeshow only exists for a few days. A tradeshow

brand can exist 365 days a year, year after year.
By elevating and promoting the brand of a show, a 24/7/365 tradeshow
“brand platform” can be built that easily enables the Modern Digital
Tradeshow (MDT) to market itself in the digital world (inbound
marketing) and in the historical face-to-face world (outbound
marketing).
The tradeshow’s brand increases its visibility, value and importance in
both worlds via social and traditional media so the show can succeed
across its entire customer universe and on a 24/7 basis.
Branding a tradeshow brand also enables new branded revenue sources
and models to be created that are not tied to a specific date or location.
In the current tradeshow organizer model, “the show” is inanimate,
occupying a specific date and time on the calendar of its marketplace
and unable to “act.”
“The show” per se has no arms or legs, no voice and no ability to act or
interact with its market. “The show” is just booths on a tradeshow floor
at a given time and in each place.
The show brand, however, can act, move on a 365-day basis, have a
voice and be placed on products and services not related to a specific
time and specific place.
On a 24/7 basis, via social media techniques, the show brand can
develop a personality or “persona,” create relationships with its target
community and generate additional revenue streams through new
product and JV (joint venture) brand extensions.
Well-managed brands are also able to create enhanced financial and
market equity in their products and services due to their 24/7 community
interaction.
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The Brand Is a Memory Peg

Everything we think about and remember can be a brand if it is actively
developed.
Branding is the active development of real or assigned
characteristics and attributes of a product or service to raise its
level of awareness, desirability, value, importance and
memorability in our reality.
These characteristics and attributes may be inherent in the physical
composition of the product itself or they may be fictional, made up or
assigned to the product as part of its market positioning or advertising
copy.
The Coke and Pepsi brands are just carbonated water with coloring,
sweeteners and flavors added.
The characteristics or brand images we know for these two products
were fabricated in our minds to make each brand a part of our life and a
desirable purchase decision. Each brown sugar water beverage name
has been “branded” and given its own “persona.”
The Coke and Pepsi brand and marketing strategies include their ability
to interact with us through advertising, social media and promotional
programming.
Because of their strategic brand programming, we now remember
each brand, have a relationship with each one, can distinguish one
brand from the other and have made room for each of them in our
lives.
How to Build a Brand

The classic approach to building a brand is called the four P’s and four
W’s of marketing and is fundamental to a brand’s success.
The four P’s are:
• Product: What is your product or service and what sets it apart
from the competition?
• Positioning: How will you position yourself in the market vs. the
competition? Examples might be low price, advanced technology
solutions or 24-hour service.
• Promotion: What advertising, promotion, social media,
gamification, etc., activities will you use to promote and grow your
brand? What is your brand platform and brand “voice”?
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• Pricing: How much will it cost compared to the competition and

what the customer is willing to pay?
To these classic four P’s I would add the following three:
• Passion: Management and team commitment to the brand’s
success.
• Process: The plan, process or systems that will be used to
manage the brand.
• Presence: Today a brand needs to be “present” and “found” on
search engines.
The W’s are:

• Who is the target audience? Along with a large and general target
audience, this can also include narrow market “segments” such as
age, ethnic group, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political
party, narrow market sector, etc.
• What do they need, want or desire that your brand can fulfill or
fulfill better than the competition? What are they passionate about
that you must create and deliver in your brand?
• Where are they located-physically, by industry sector, by job title,
etc., as well as where are they located psychologically,
technologically, etc.?
• Why should they support your brand? What will they get, that’s
important to them, by buying your brand? In other words, What’s
in It for Me (WIIFM)?
With this P & W analysis, a brand is then able to be positioned in the

market and appropriately marketed to successfully compete for
customers and sales.
The brand should be positioned clearly away from the existing
competition and into its own unique segment of the market. Or,
positioned with such competitive advantages it can easily take customers
and market share away from the competition (e.g., Apple iPod vs. Sony
Walkman).
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Comparative Branding Example: Duluth Trading Company & the

Filson Company
By way of example, The Duluth Trading Company and The Filson
Company are two companies whose owners have distinctly
segmented, positioned, branded and marketed themselves in the
men’s retail clothing industry to build customer top -of-mind
awareness, brand share and sales.
Duluth Trading Company’s management (www.duluthtrading.com)
has positioned it as a brand for the blue-collar and service workers. It
sells on-the-job clothes for the blue-collar tradesman and prices them
accordingly. Its pants, shirts and shoes are oriented to meet the
needs of its target market. Its half-sized brochures (6”x10 1/2”)
feature a consistent style of hand-drawn merchandise illustrations.
Brochure descriptive copy is consistent with the language structure of
its audience.
The Filson Company (www.filson.com), on the other hand, is a
Seattle-based, old line, traditional, Northwest-focused outdoor
clothing company. It has a long history of making men’s woolen
outdoor clothing. Over time it has morphed into a “Seattle Style”
upscale clothing company making upscale outdoor and urban wear
with upscale prices. Its full-sized brochures (9”x11”) feature
beautiful full-color photography with a few merchandise items per
page. Merchandise copy is style-focused, “educated” and describes
how each merchandise item fits into the Seattle lifestyle mode.
Comparing these two companies gives a clear example of how brand
positioning works and how it translates into the marketing specifi cs of
copy (words), graphics and brand personality or “persona” in both
traditional media (outbound marketing) and digital/social media
(inbound marketing).
The Brand “Community”

Before the Internet, marketers utilized mass communications techniques
such as TV and newspapers to deliver their messages to a broad
audience...which they hoped included their target customers.
Broadly based mass media spending included a lot of “wasted” money
delivering messages to people who were not potential customers for an
advertiser’s product.
When the Internet came along, marketers soon learned that people
visited certain web sites and followed certain people who were then
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publishing newsletters. These participants were first called followers

and then tribes.
Guy Kawasaki, former president of Apple computer, called the loyal
Apple users “evangelists” and brand evangelists.
“Community” is the term these concepts have morphed into.
Community, in this marketing context, means the largest potential
audience for a given product or brand that seems to potentially have
an affinity for the product category and/or the brand. 161-163
Brand marketing today is focused on developing the brand and its
“brand community.”
The brand’s community are those people, job titles, special interest
groups, demographics, psychographics, current and past customers, etc.,
who have some real or potential relationship or interest that a brand can
either relate to, be related to or creatively developed...directly or
tangentially.
The P’s and W’s discussed above relate to answering the brand and
brand community questions. The P’s and W’s help discriminate the
brand to its community and, in turn, discriminate the larger
community (and sub-communities) for brand development.
The outcome of this P and W work is to find and evolve the largest
potential community for a brand.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a fundamental social media
technique that helps a brand find and expand its potential community.
SEO is where a specific “term” (e.g. dentist) is entered into a search
engine, for example Google, to search for as many places where that
term is being applied or used.
Once the search engine finds/identifies these other “term” (e.g. dentist)
usages the marketer investigates them to determine if these other
usages represent potential markets for that marketer to cultivate.
It’s through this type of “search” activity that a tradeshow owner can
use a key show related “term” to get perspective on additional
audiences her show can cultivate and market to as it expand s its total
brand community and/or prospect base.
SEO also helps show management develop an understanding of the
levels of current brand involvement within the larger total potential
community for that show brand.
By researching and understanding a brand’s current involvement
levels with its total potential community, the brand is then able to
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lay out its community development goals; and its community

engagement and business development plans.
The new digital In-bound marketing practices are all about developing
strategies and tactics that bring the potential community into
embracing and engaging a specific brand. In-bound marketing is
community engagement to build increased brand awareness,
community endorsement and brand share within its total potential
community. 105,106,111,113
Tradeshows, meetings and events are also subject to the above
community concepts. Just staying with the last three years of
attendee lists, or an association’s membership, is not the total
community for a tradeshow.
The actual tradeshow or event community is usually much bigger than
the tradeshow manger knows and is largely untapped.
Utilizing “search” tools such as SEO will enable a show owner to
discover a much larger and more broadly based “community” that
could potentially embrace that tradeshow if it were appropriately
engaged and marketed to.
Going forward, community discovery, SEO search and in-bound
marketing and engagement will be constant activities for all tradeshow
and event brands.
People change, styles change and brand communities will also
continue to change. Future tradeshow brand success means staying
on top of its community as it changes over time and continuing to
be relevant to its brand community.
Brand Engagement and Interaction

Two factors in moving a brand forward today are: 1) engagement and
2) customer interaction.
Through engagement and interaction, the community and the individual
customer learns that the brand manager:
• Knows who they are,
• Is listening to them, and
• Has created the brand specifically to fulfill their needs, wants
and desires.
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Through market analysis, market research, social media interaction

and sub-segment target audience analysis, the advertising and
promotional copy, graphics and video for the brand should “speak” to
its audience at its “heart level.”
The “heart level” is where understanding the target audience vocabulary,
sense of humor, value structure, social, cultural and underlying needs
helps a brand target and market itself appropriately for its audience.
The creative execution of the brand concept with words, pictures, video,
social media interaction and in-person face-to-face interaction brings the
brand to life in the customer experience.
It is the quality and consistent delivery of high -value customer
experience that builds long term customer loyalty and brand
profitability. 43,44,164,165,166,170,171
Brand Personas
In building a brand today it’s also important to build a personality or
“persona” for the brand that is attractive, compelling and able to interact
with its customer universe. 106-110
Marketing and customer research studies help brand owners refine their
brand personas.
Based upon these research results and the basic brand positioning,
branding professionals many times will write out a detailed brand
persona description just like Hollywood script writers do when they
create characters in movies.
When writing an entire persona for each movie character, script writers
may include such things as where the characters are from, where they
grew up, parents, education, emotional state, demons they are fighting,
hero or villain characteristics and so on.
These persona descriptions make it easy for the actors to then portray
their movie characters.
Think about a brand you know or your own brand. If the brand were a
person, what would its persona characteristics be? Here are a few
characteristics to think about:
• What is that person’s personality (or persona) and how would they
act?
• Is the person short or tall?
• Does the person play golf or bowl? (or what?)
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• Is the person serious or fun? (or what?)

• Traditional or modern? (or what?)
• Young or old, married or single, male or female? Outgoing or
introverted?
• What are the features and characteristics of the brand
personality (persona) that it wants to express when interacting
with its customer universe?
Researching and then defining persona characteristics for a brand

enables the brand owner to translate this persona into advertising and
web site copy, pictures, activities and brand images.
The appropriate words (copy), pictures, videos and “tone of voice”
enable potential customers to identify with a brand’s image and
personality as being one of their own, just as they select their friends
or hang out with different people.
The consistent manifestation of a brand’s positioning and persona,
across all the ways it communicates and comes from its heart, enables a
brand to differentiate itself from other brands, increases its brand
recognition and engagement with its customers, and makes it a
“preferred” customer brand.
Being the preferred customer brand is one of the major outcomes of
branding. Brand preference translates to brand loyalty, increased brand
profits and increased lifetime customer value (LCV). All of this translates
to increased long-term sales and profits.
Building the Tradeshow Brand

To turn a tradeshow into a brand, it’s necessary to build or increase the
highly-valued, audience-attracting characteristics that are built in,
assigned or added to it.
Every tradeshow, convention or meeting already has some brand
characteristics. The relevant question is: “What should the tradeshow
brand characteristics be going forward to the future?”
The valued characteristics built into a tradeshow brand must be
carefully researched to make sure the wrong ones aren’t being
developed. Highly valued characteristics will make that tradeshow
brand more desirable and compelling to its total customer universe.
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These highly valued characteristics will also be used to build the brand
personality or “persona” that is then marketed to its target universe.
As a tradeshow brand and its persona are built, its persona is able to act
and have relationships with its community.
It’s this capability to relate and interact via social and traditional media
that transforms a tradeshow from booths on a floor 1X/per year into a
dynamic and community interactive brand on a 24/7 basis. A dynamic
brand keeps customers engaged and returning year after year.
While the word “brand” is used in the tradeshow industry today, most
shows are only talking about their show name and logo. They are still
being managed and marketed under a historical tradeshow organizer
management model and not as true brands.
The Tradeshow Brand Promise

Tradeshows or events are sold to their attendees (and exhibitors) based
on promises.
A tradeshow, meeting or event does not exist until the doors are opened
at the actual event. A potential customer cannot go to the show or
meeting or event and see what it’s like before putting her money down
to participate.
A potential customer puts her money down on a tradeshow based upon
show management...promises.
Attendee promotion copy in the pre-show marketing material makes
promises that set the pre-show (brand) expectations for both attendees
and exhibitors.
Pre-show attendee copy promises convey the rationale for participation,
the justification to participate (for the time and money spent) and an
anticipation of “what I’m going to get” (in terms of value) for attending
that show.
Tradeshows continue to sell promises until the show is finished and the
promised experience is delivered...or not.
The pre-show copy contains two key attendees “brand promises” for a
show that can make it or break it – one in the short term and one in the
long term.
• The pre-show copy promise contains the features and benefits of
that specific event itself, why an attendee should participate in that
event and what their experience will be at that show.
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• A subtler promise is the fundamental “core” promise of the

tradeshow brand itself. For example, if a tradeshow brand is
positioned as the “leading” event in its category, then each show it
produces must demonstrate and deliver a leadership experience. If a
show delivers an average show experience or the show does not clearly
deliver a leadership experience, that brand begins to lose overall
credibility.
If this lack of leadership experience continues for more than one show,
that brand loses more credibility and trust as “the leader” in its category.
Non-delivery of the fundamental brand promise erodes confidence from
the inside out because it no longer delivers its compelling leadership
value promise. Over time, that show will decline.
In marketing a tradeshow brand, pre-show promises and on-site value
delivery go hand in hand.
The pre-show promises describe the compelling brand value built into
each show and its core fundamental promises.
However, it’s the actual on-site delivery of that brand’s promises and
compelling experience value at each show that support the brand’s
reputation and the demand for that brand in the mind (and wallet) of its
target community.
Not delivering the on-site brand promise experience creates customer
disappointment and doubt. It raises questions about whether it is
worthwhile to attend that show next year.
Consistent delivery of show-to-show promises and experiences are core
values in how customer brand equity is built in a tradeshow brand over
time.
Increasing brand equity through consistent high-value delivery of show
promises generates increased customer trust, continuing show
participation, increased revenue and the ability to build branded product
expansions outside of a 1X/year tradeshow.
Tradeshows as Part of a 24/7 “Branded Content Platform”

Over the next five years, tradeshow owners will recognize that
tradeshow marketing is all about consistent high value “brand content”
on a 24/7 basis.
Tradeshow owners will also recognize they are building Branded Content
Platforms as much as they think they are in the tradeshow production
business.
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The tradeshow itself will evolve into being the major component of a
24/7/365 tradeshow brand content platform. The remainder of the
content platform will be delivered by the rest of the 365-day content
strategy as blogs, webinars, daily e-news, etc are presented on a 24/7
basis.
This total brand content platform will focus on 24/7 continuing attendee
brand interactivity and development, delivering high-quality attendee
value and building long-term attendee loyalty and tradeshow
profitability.
Pre-show, at-show and post-show content, and interaction with current
and potential audiences, will be branded (with the tradeshow brand) and
managed under an integrated brand content strategy.
24/7 content will become the leading-edge manifestation of a tradeshow
brand and will be highly integral to a brand’s success. Brand strategy
also includes the physical show itself.
Today, the physical tradeshow has exhibitor content in the form of
booths, products and in-booth presentations.
It also has show-produced educational session content and social
interaction and networking content.
Five years from now, tradeshow content marketing and the on-site
content will be seamlessly managed as part of a tradeshow’s overall
24/7/365 branded and integrated content platform and integrated digital
management system.
Creating and distributing high-value branded content will require the use
of market research, metrics, asking questions, listening, engaging and
multi-media/social media communicating in order to build these
programs and fully engage the brands community.
Future tradeshow brand content development will not only include the
tools used today such as articles, white papers, blogs and social media
channels like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, but will also include video,
live on-camera presentations, augmented reality, virtual reality, show-
specific YouTube programs, etc. It will also include new social media and
marketing opportunities not yet invented.
Tradeshow teams will require adding a Content Manager and/or
content production resource to its show team. Content
management is its own professional discipline and the Content
Manager job will become an important new addition to the MDT brand
team to keep the show brand active and dynamic within its community.
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Tradeshow Brand Success: Outstanding Customer Experience

Delivery
The ultimate “Net Takeaway” for a show is the quality and value of the
experience the customer walks away with from his interaction with the
show.
The quality and value of the customer experience can be researched and
measured to help show management improve total customer
satisfaction...and the customers desire to re-purchase that experience by
returning to next year’s show.
As noted previously and discussed more fully in later chapters, the
future tradeshow competitive battle (vs. major exhibitors) is going to
be fought over the management and control of the customer
experience . 22
When a tradeshow brand delivers a superior customer experience, the
customer stays brand-loyal and continues to support and endorse that
tradeshow year after year.
Deliver a poor customer experience and that tradeshow brand is
abandoned by the customer and the show loses momentum in its
marketplace.
Delivering high-value customer experiences to attendees will keep
attendees returning to tradeshows. High levels of attendee’s
participation in tradeshows will deliver high-level exhibitor ROI, keep
exhibitors in tradeshows and quality revenue streams flowing to
tradeshow owners.
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Chapter 8
Tradeshow Brand Management: Key to the
Industry Future
The tradeshow industry’s future is about building and

managing the tradeshow brand.
Brand management is the active, 24/7/365, hands-on process

that focuses on building a compelling and long-lasting “brand
franchise” in the mind of its target audience.
The outcome of brand management is to build a preferred-brand
franchise of loyal brand fans and advocates among the brand’s
potential community universe and to increase the brand’s “share of
mind”, share of market, sales and profits.
Brand management is the expansive and comprehensive professional
discipline to build a winning brand based on:
• Research,
• Data analysis,
• Creativity,
• Vision and strategy development,
• Plan building and implementation,
• Media selection and management,
• Advanced marketing and digital tools/techniques,
• Business and marketing process skills and discipline,
• Technology application, tactics/skills
• Willingness to innovate and risk
• New product/revenue-stream development
• Financial discipline
• Team building and leadership
Tradeshow brand management is one of the most important

evolutionary steps in the analog-to-digital industry transformation
beyond the historical “organizer” management model.
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It means professionally managing a tradeshow as a brand, and as a

“branded product,” in the competitive 24/7 digital world of modern
marketing.
Brand Management: The Tradeshow Industry’s Next Step

Under the brand management structure, the tradeshow brand becomes
an active agent in both the in-person and digital worlds of its target
community.
As opposed to the narrowly focused, episodic nature of the tradeshow
organizer model that is being left behind, tradeshow brand
management’s objective is to build a 24/7 ongoing “brand preference”
and brand engagement for its brand (vs. any other options) in the
minds of its customer target community.
Through research, strategy development, technology applications,
product development and marketing plan implementation, tradeshow
brand management seeks to engage its entire customer universe to build
awareness of, trust in, participation in and loyalty to its tradeshow
brand.
Today, the tradeshow industry at its core is still operating on a closed,
“episodic,” linear-sequential analog management model that is now
being overwhelmed by the requirements of competing in a 24/7 digital
and mobile marketing environment.
The current “organizer” management model cannot make the necessary
market-required adjustments due to its inherent structural and band-
width limitations.
The confusion the tradeshow industry now faces is how to interpret and
react to these rapidly changing, disruptive 24/7 technology and
marketing innovations; and, what is the new management model that
can successfully navigate these changes.
The shift in thinking and function from the historical organizer model to
the 24/7 MDT Brand Manager Model would generally look like this (and
be adjusted to fit individual show requirements).
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Implementing the MDT brand manager model now will enable the
tradeshow industry to adopt an updated, high-capacity, high-
bandwidth tradeshow management model and system that can build
and market a 24/7 integrated digital platform and high-value
branded customer experience.
Implementing the MDT brand manager system also creates a
tradeshow brand’s ability to develop new, non-tradeshow, products
and services under the brand’s name and expand the brand’s
revenue base and product portfolio
A well-managed, high value, MDT tradeshow brand can:
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• Dominate its market space in both its inbound and outbound

marketing practices,
• Be viewed as its industry’s thought leader,
• Command a premium price for what it offers,
• Add non-tradeshow-branded products and services as
brand extensions and new profit centers, and
• Be significantly more profitable than its competitors
The Disney Example

Disney is an excellent example of integrated brand building and brand
management. Management of the Disney brand is highly cultivated,
disciplined and consistent across all its various product forms and market
outlets.
From merchandise and movies to virtual products and theme parks, the
Disney brand is consciously managed and consistently implemented with
its own strategy, tone, logo, colors and image uppermost in its
execution...no matter what product form it takes.
This integrated brand management discipline delivers a consistent and
compelling “Disney” experience across all platforms and media channels
that expand its universe of total customer acceptance, sales and profits.
The Disney brand management example (and there are others)
demonstrates the potential to build compelling brand leadership, value
and customer preference by comprehensively meeting the needs, wants
and desires of its various stakeholder universes while also earning a
significant profit and ROI for itself.
Tradeshow Brand Managers

Brand managers are professionals. The tradeshow brand manager will be
a more highly experienced, broadly skilled and expansively tasked
position than the historical show director or show manager.
Replacing the show manager position and moving to the brand
manager position will require a shift in tradeshow management
structure and a significant skill-set upgrade.
Professional brand managers know the truth about their brands and their
essence, strengths and weaknesses.
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The brand manager has the 24/7 responsibility to research, coach, train,
discipline and encourage that brand (and brand team) to grow to its
highest potential in a constantly changing, hostile and competitive
environment.
Professional brand managers are proficient at:
• Creating and managing brand positioning
• Developing brand persona
• Market and media research,
• Creating and implementing strategic and tactical brand plans
• Advertising and marketing disciplines and skills
• 24/7 social media interactivity
• Content programming
• Data analysis and converting data into action plans
• Building sales and profits
• Producing a branded tradeshow
• Launching new non-tradeshow products/services under the
tradeshow brand name (e. g. industry directory, video courses,
etc.)
• Manage a higher skilled, more diverse skilled and faster moving
brand team
The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) brand manager will have

enhanced marketing and tradeshow management experience, and
continue to drive the usual tradeshow metrics of net square footage,
booth sales, attendee count, sponsorship and conference revenue and
profits.
Over the next five years, the MDT brand manager will also need to be as
much a technologist and technology-based marketer as well as a
tradeshow marketing professional.
The MDT brand manager will need to know digital management and
digital marketing technology as well as data analysis. She will need to be
able to build business plans from data analysis and research studies.
The MDT brand manager will extend the breadth and depth of her brand
franchise and brand equity through new product development both
within and outside of the tradeshow product itself.
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Over time, the brand manager will leverage a tradeshow’s audience

brand equity into new services, products or product forms and revenue
streams (e.g., list brokerage, tutorials, newsletters, etc.).
The outcome of the move from the traditional tradeshow organizer
management model to the MDT brand management model is to put in
place a 24/7, digitally centered, brand-marketing, and agile tradeshow
management system run by a more experienced and broadly trained
brand team.
This new MDT management system will be run by a technology and
marketing-skilled brand management professional who can increase that
show brand’s customer engagement, sales, and profitability. The MDT
brand manager will also build new, 24/7, non-tradeshow products and
revenue streams under that tradeshow’s brand name.
Tradeshow Innovation and Creativity Imperative

In the future, tradeshow brand managers will need to deliver
successively more innovative and creative shows and events. Because
of the increases in advanced technology experiences increasingly
available to both attendees and exhibitors, the tradeshow brand
manager has to constantly stay a step ahead in innovation and
creativity.
Future attendees will also have experienced increased content and
“neural stimulation” via their home and office electronic devices and
digital content delivery systems. Virtual reality, augmented reality and
neural stimulation devices not yet invented will be part of their every day
experiences.
To keep up with evolving attendee digital experiences, tradeshows will
be forced to deliver higher levels of creativity and on-site neural
experiences and levels of engagement...that are not generally available
anywhere else.
With a standard consumer packaged goods brand, the product is
consistent over time. The brand manager markets a can of Folgers
Coffee, a package of Del Monte green beans or a box of Saran Wrap.
These brand managers sell millions of units of the same product.
Going forward however, the tradeshow brand manager will have to
create a “new product” each time a show is held.
Each iteration of the show has to be unique and creative. Successive
look-alike shows will be perceived as boring by attendees and the show
will get a reputation for offering low value and low neural engagement.
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This year-to-year MDT innovation requirement places an increased

premium on creativity and risk-taking on the part of the MDT brand
manager and the brand team to assure that each shows attendee
experience is highly unique, engaging and valuable.
The future tradeshow brand manager will have an important task and that
is to…STAMP OUT BORING SHOWS.
Building MDT Portfolio Assets and Enhanced Brand Profits

The MDT brand manager position is also about managing every
aspect of the MDT brand and its potential expanded market and
profit opportunities.
This “every aspect” management of the brand means the brand manager
is responsible for managing the “portfolio” of products and opportunities
existing, or that can be created, for his/her brand...as well as every JV
brand extension opportunity that can be developed.
“Portfolio” executions of an MDT brand have to be managed as if each
portfolio execution were a separate “sub-product” operating under the
MDT brand name and brand franchise.
The reason for this is that each sub-product form and unique
execution can potentially be a specific portfolio “profit center” in its
own right.
An MDT brand “portfolio” could consist, for example, of the following
types of sub-brand product forms and formats, each with its own
marketing plan and P&L, and conceived and managed as a separate
“product”:
• The tradeshow itself: The Master brand
• Regional mini-shows/events: Master brand “light”
• Streaming the show live: created and delivered as a unique
online TV program complete with logo, graphic, commercials and
sponsors
• Virtual show: a separate, branded, media-based product. A TV
show with advertisers and sponsors; and the “show content” of
exhibitors, educational sessions, advertising, networking, etc.
• YouTube channel: a separate branded media product
delivered as a TV program with sponsors and advertisers over
YouTube.
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• Public days at a tradeshow: separate Master brand format

with additional consumer promotion and revenue
opportunities.
• Hosted buyer event: MDT Master Brand extension in a more
concentrated format for targeted exhibitors, attendees and
sponsors.
• Webinars/podcasts/video blogs: branded broadcast media
events; professional level of on-air program production with
advertisers and sponsors.
• Conferences: conference-style execution of the Master brand
focus.
• Meetings: meeting style execution of the Master brand (e.g.
small city meetings).
• JV relationships/products: Master brand management of joint
venture relationships including all incoming JV contributions to the
brand as well as all Master brand outgoing contributions to the JV
partner community.
• E-product: Master brand extension to an e-product created in its
name either in-house, licensed out for development, or started
from scratch by the MDT team. These could include items such as
high value e-newsletters, lists, magazines, online custom research
studies, etc.
• Print products: Master brand extension to print products such
as magazines, directories, etc., either in-house or through
licensing or joint venture development.
• New product development: Master brand product /service
extensions based upon community opportunity/support and solid
business assessments.
• International show brand expansion: Market conditions may
warrant a tradeshow brand cloning itself in another country. The
success of this opportunity is to leverage the existing equity in the
domestic brand to start, perhaps in conjunction with a JV, a new
show in another country.
The MDT brand manager will have the portfolio responsibility
to assure that the new off-shore event maintains the brand’s core
positioning and is executed in a way that maintains (and
enhances) the integrity of the brand.
The downside of this is that, if the off-shore partner does not
stay true to the core brand elements, and executes the new
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show at a low level of quality or integrity, the Master brand will

suffer a loss of reputation and customer endorsement.
The case for portfolio management by the MDT brand manager is
possible because of the basic MDT concept that tradeshows and their
derivatives are branded products.
As branded products, each (portfolio) aspect or form of the MDT is a
sub-brand product that also can be separately managed with a high
degree of professionalism and profitability.
Sub-brands enable the brand manager to focus and target each sub-
brand to achieve specific strategic and tactical results for the total
brand, and to build high levels of top-of-mind community brand
awareness and increased revenue.
Sub-brands also enable a brand to offer its community different forms
of the brand that may have a higher value for them rather than only
consuming the on-site product (e.g., staying home and buying a
branded webinar “product”).
Portfolio management also allows the MDT brand manager to take a
larger view of the brands’ market acceptance and “brand equity”.
A shows brand equity is an asset that can be invested in as many
portfolio opportunities as possible...not just booths on a tradeshow floor
at one time of the year.
When understood to be a “product”, the focus for managing
each sub-brand is clear.
Once the sub-brand positioning and executional relationship with the
Master brand is clear and understood, building the sub-brand business
plans are straightforward and the projected results are easily set and
measured.
Sub-brands and portfolio management enable a tradeshow to
leverage its community brand equity from a 1X/year payday into a
multi-asset, 24/7, enhanced revenue model no longer dependent
upon a one-time and one-place revenue stream.
Sub-brands also enable the master brand to build a multi-
channel/Omni-channel relationship with its total community. By
offering its community many different forms and ways to purchase
the “brand” the brand manager is able to satisfy more of the
community’s needs/wants/desirers under the brand name and not
lose sales to another provider. She is also able to increase sales
and profits through sub-branding.
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Summary: Branding and Brand Management

Shifting tradeshow management orientation to building the MDT
tradeshow “Brand” and implementing the brand management system will
enable tradeshow owners to focus their management and marketing
efforts on building brand loyalty with current and potential new
customers.
By focusing on brand building and brand marketing techniques,
tradeshow management will be able to create professional metrics to
track the progress of their brand in creating an engaged and brand-loyal
community.
Digital marketing and management systems, coupled with data collection
and analytics, will provide tradeshow brand managers with the tools and
information they need to build compelling experiences into their shows.
Delivering compelling tradeshow experiences will enable the MDT to
effectively compete with the larger exhibitors who launch direct-to-
customer marketing tactics to avoid exhibiting on tradeshow floors.
Compelling on-site tradeshow experiences keep brand loyal attendees on
tradeshow floors and exhibitors in booths to engage with them.
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Chapter 9
24/7 Content: The Analog-to-Digital Industry
Transformation
Building the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) means filling the

Content Gap – and building the 24/7 Show. It also is the
linchpin to transforming the tradeshow industry from analog to
digital.
The tradeshow industry today is beginning to recognize it needs

to go beyond the historical 1X/year show pattern and engage
its audience more frequently.
Content is the “engagement bridge” between the traditional
1X/year show, community building and the 24/7 Show.
24/7 content is also a fundamental shift in the management
structure, technology applications, attendee building, business
pace, and production processes of the tradeshow industry itself.
Engagement through content moves the industry from its historical
analog, linear-sequential, 1X/year and logistics production process for
exhibitors into being:
• Attendee and community focused
• Always-on
• 24/7 engagement and top of mind awareness
• Digitally enabled
• Software and app-driven
• Fully systems integrated,
• Any device/any technical format,
• Many/any content formats, always innovating
• Continuously binding a tradeshow brand to its community
Content also includes the show itself, which is the in-person

manifestation and experience of a brand and its brand strategy.
The in-person show experience, as part of the total branded content
engagement platform, reinforces the brand persona, brand “story” and
brand promise.
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The execution of the onsite experience also authenticates the rest of the
24/7 brand content platform and brand promise to the larger brand
community.
Content shifts the tradeshow engagement and interactivity with its target
community. It shifts it from strictly outbound marketing activities to a
full complement of both outbound and inbound marketing tools,
techniques, activities and “listening”.
Interactivity and listening moves the brand’s relationship from “selling
to” to “relating with” its target community.
Interactivity and listening also “opens” the tradeshow-community
relationship by enabling the target community to have input and
influence in the design and execution of the event it wants
tradeshow management to produce.
“Open” also facilitates expanded relationships and new revenue streams
with joint venture (JV) partners.
Content Is a Professional Discipline and Disrupter

Creating and marketing content is a professional discipline and
disrupter of the status quo. It will need to be added to the tradeshow
brand team in the form of a content manager, content team and a
24/7 content production process. 30,58,85,88,90
Professional content management involves all marketing and
technical/digital systems needed to create and deliver the right content
at the right time and to the right audience target.
Professional content management also involves strategy development,
experimentation, testing, measurement, managerial agility and speed to
market.
Content 24/7 also means having to produce a far broader range of
content topics and formats than previously used by the tradeshow
industry in its outbound marketing practices.
Modern 24/7 content includes techniques such as storytelling, blogs,
video blogs, podcasts, audio and video webinars, e-books, white papers,
YouTube channels, etc.
Content Is a Change Agent

Historically, the tradeshow organizer model had no editorial position per
se beyond “selling” the show. Organizing is (generally speaking) non-
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sectarian, apolitical and without an “editorial” point of view by show

management.
The MDT branded 24/7 digital content means tradeshow brand
management must now have a content strategy and an “editorial
posture and voice” as it produces content on a consistent basis.
Delivering 24/7 content requires changes in the following areas:
• Management. 24/7 digital means a significant disruption in the
fundamental tradeshow management structure, business
systems, employee skill sets, employee “neurology” and
customer care and interaction.
The management of 24/7 is constant, always on and
NOW...as opposed to the traditional linear-sequential show
production processes spread out over time.
• Agility—the need for speed. 24/7 MDT digital speed and
responsiveness is a fundamental disruption in the historical
tradeshow production process-timing, speed of customer
interaction and community building.
It’s also an overall increase in speed and output where the
industry must now deliver constant content output. 24/7
digital is nimble, all-the-time and constantly changing as the
technology and community technology usage practices
change on a daily basis.
• Metrics, data, research and systems. 24/7 digital, the
content manager and the content management system, will
force the data integration of all marketing functions (SEO,
brand strategy, content strategy, etc.) into an integrated
technology-based digital IT “system” and data analysis
protocol.
The chief technology officer (CTO), marketing technologists,
content managers, apps, software and digital systems now
become central parts of the brand manager’s show team. Metrics
means that all of the brands products, processes and services
can be measured, assessed and, as a result, better managed
and improved.
• New media/content placement technologies. The delivery
of advertising and content has already changed significantly and
will continue to change dramatically over the next ten years. The
future outcome of content placement is to make each individual
message as customized and personalized as possible for each
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individual recipient. This outcome is the individual customization

of mass delivered content.
Message content will be delivered by various media networks via
computerized, real-time “auctions” for the ability to deliver a specific
message to a specific target audience. Today these auctions are called
“programmatic media buying”.
Programmatic media buying now takes place for electronic advertising
placement. In practice, a person clicks on a web site and is identified as
a potential customer for any number of advertisers. Advertisers already
have ads in a data base and have “bought” a certain number of ad
placements and at a pre-determined price.
A computer analyzes the potential customer, the potential advertisers
and the amount of money an advertiser is willing to pay for an ad
placement with that customer. In real time (nano-seconds) the computer
decides which ad, from which advertiser, will be placed on-screen in
front of that potential customer.
Programmatic media placement, and advanced content placement,
require pre-developed copy and video to go into the computer data
bank. This means the tradeshow content development team has to think
in advance about its sub-segment audiences and prepare a range of
content for real-time computerized delivery to specific sub-segment
audiences.
Working in a programmatic media world is more complex and dynamic
than the tradeshow industry has historically experienced. This media and
content placement environment, to generate customer attention, will
become far more complex and dynamic in the b2b space over the next
ten years.
Bolted-On Tradeshow Content Today

The current tradeshow organizer management model has been to view
digital content as a necessity to keep up with the market and overall
marketing trends.
Tradeshow content today is, across the entire industry, not digitally
centered, 24/7 in delivery frequency or a major function of an integrated
tradeshow management model.
Content is now executed as a series of “mini-events”, bolted onto a
tradeshows linear-sequential calendar, starting with post-show replays of
at-show educational sessions.
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Bolted-on content is a “managed activity” for the convenience of the

show organizer and not as a 24/7 target community dynamic outreach,
engagement and interaction with the tradeshow brand.
Typical bolted-on tradeshow organizer content today includes:
• Post-show replay of educational sessions
• Post-show publication of on-site technical/educational papers
• On-site interviews with industry leaders
• Webinars related to on-site topics and speakers
• Industry-related news and information on show web sites
These approaches have yielded a diverse range of content “publishing.”
But content as a daily integral part of managing a tradeshow brand or
building and interacting with its community has yet to be broadly
realized across the industry.
At present, 24/7 digital integrated content is not a part of the tradeshow
organizer’s neurology, DNA or integrated game plan.
MDT Content Development Reorientation

Developing content under the MDT, 24/7 digital brand management
model requires different ways of thinking and different skill sets than the
historical tradeshow organizer model. Moving to 24/7 MDT content
includes the following re-orientation:
• The MDT is a “product” with attributes, boundaries and unique
characteristics.
• The tradeshow is being managed as a brand by a brand manager.
• Intense focus on audience/community “listening,” research,
metrics, tradeshow brand interaction and marketing agility and
responsiveness.
• Strategic 24/7 objectives and annual business development
objectives.
• Building 24/7 tactical plans to include content testing, dynamic
content delivery and new formats of content (e.g. video blogs,
engagement apps, guest bloggers, etc.)
• Upgrading staff to include a senior content manager with
technology management skills, content management and content
provided by writers and reporters.
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• Workflow systems/apps to develop, produce and deliver 24/7

content.
• Marketing and content automation systems.
• Opening the brand for content input by joint venture (JV)
partners.
In addition, content development and management must interact with
the larger brand management objectives of building the business
through ongoing community discovery and engagement. This includes
such areas as SEO search, new community building and engagement
tools and techniques and exploring new sub-brand business
opportunities.
Building the MDT content management and marketing “system,” with its
many variables and plug-ins to other brand technology systems, could
look something like the bold-faced sections in the content
management structure graphic that follows below. Within each bold-
faced section, MDT management would select individual vendors
capable of delivering each function for the brand’s total content
marketing system.
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Source: Curata.com
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The bold-faced titles in this chart show the range of activities necessary
to professionally manage and market a successful content marketing
program. From curated content, to social media management, to social
media analytics, to all the other bold titled boxes, a content marketing
program has many moving parts and potential suppliers.
The reader is urged to use this chart as a guide in investigating and
building individual tradeshow brand content marketing programs.
(Note: because technology is changing so quickly, parts of this chart
may require updates and changes that would need to be
incorporated into a given tradeshows content marketing program.)
Questions Involved in Managing the Shift to 24/7 Content

This transition to the 24/7 Show has been frustrating to the larger
tradeshow industry because the historical tradeshow organizer model
has no provision for this type of constant 24/7 activity and
output...nor in generating continuing daily content.
In general, the tradeshow industry, and individual show owners, are
struggling to find answers to the following questions:
• Should it build a 24/7 Show at all?
• If not a 24/7 Show, what level of content engagement frequency is
appropriate?
• How would/should it actually build a 24/7 Show presence?
• How could/should it manage the 24/7 Show as related to:
-Content strategy?
-Type of content?
-Source of content?
-Building content?
-Posting content and following up on its responses?
-Accepting input and suggestions from the larger
community?
• Content management skills and new human resource requirements?
• Processes and resources to produce content?
• Technology systems and systems architecture?
• Budget for on-going content development and placement ?
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• Testing and measurement techniques and skill sets?

• Vendors and consultants?
At present, across the tradeshow industry, there is no specific clarity on

what the 24/7 Show model should be, if there should be one at all, and
how to get there.
Piece-parts of content are being bolted into today’s tradeshow organizer
model and included as “marketing” efforts...but not as part of well-
developed integrated content development/delivery strategy.
24/7 Content Engagement: Major Industry Transformation Task

Ahead
Developing and deploying branded, integrated, community building
content on a 24/7 basis, and building and utilizing an integrated digital
platform, is the major task ahead for the tradeshow industry over the
next three to five years.
The outcome of this transformation to a 24/7 Show content platform,
and from analog to digital systems, is a major element in the path to
creating the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT).
Content is the customer engagement battleground of the future and
it will get more sophisticated as time goes on. The evolution of
content as an engagement and sales tool will include (to name just
a few):
• Topic targeted content
• Behavioral-driven content
• Individually personalized and customized content
• Testing, feedback and metrics to assess and then ‘steer” the
character, effectiveness and direction of an individual brands
content marketing efforts
• Advanced “programmatic” and media placement technologies
• Engaging the target community to provide pro-active content
Each show owner will have to determine its overall business and
marketing strategy and what content represents for each show.
Once the brand strategy is determined for a show management
company, the digital systems necessary for its creation and
distribution can then be more easily designed and implemented.
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Moving to the future, the 24/7 Show and the analog -to-digital
conversion path to the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) must be
achieved to assure that each tradeshow brand is able to build
appropriate content and sustain a vibrant and engaging 24/7
relationship with its larger, continuously changing, technology -
driven community.
The industry transformation from the historical organizer model to the
Modern Digital Tradeshow will require leadership, thoughtfulness,
research, study, outside consultants, digital systems, patience, money
and time. (See Chapter 15 for a full discussion of this journey).
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Chapter 10
24/7 Content: Digital Automation, Machine Systems
and People
Systems thinking, marketing automation and content/data

integration are the next steps for tradeshow management in
the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) equation.
The scope of content development and the speed with which it

needs to be implemented across a 365-day branded content
platform requires tradeshow owners to have automated, digital,
enterprise-wide, machine-systems, workflow processes and
skilled people.
The specific architecture of a brand’s enterprise-wide digital systems will
be determined by the size and scope of the organization, the tradeshow
and event brands it supports and the brand manager and brand team
working with their technical, IT and systems vendors.
The more diverse a brand’s product lineup (e.g., shows, magazines and
direct mail lists), the greater the need for sub-systems to manage those
entities that, in turn, will have to be integrated into a larger, enterprise-
wide system. 166-168
Building the processes, workflow and personnel behind the content
machine system (and sub-systems) are fundamental to feeding and
managing the MDT as well as the 24/7 enterprise system itself.
The difficulty for brand teams in implementing these systems will be
the strategic thinking and available qualified talent behind the
architecture, design and implementation of an integrated system with
its various sub-system components.
The MDT brand team must work closely with their technology and
content vendors to assure they are on top of the latest hardware,
software and changes in customer device usage (e.g., tablets).
Understanding that the (annual) tradeshow has now become part of a
larger 24/7 content production platform and machine system will be a
major transition in thinking for the tradeshow industry.
Nevertheless, the production of the tradeshow itself, within this larger
365-day content production machine, will still be driven by rapidly
evolving digital tools, techniques and management practices for
producing a high-value/high-demand professional event.
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24/7-content production sources would include vendors, SEO, self-

generated, curated, JV and community content providers.
The goals and direction of the content production machine itself will be
guided by brand strategy, IT techniques, systems capabilities, ongoing
market research, data analytics and community engagement metrics.
The content machine assessment of the productivity and success of a
brand’s community development efforts, and its content production
process, may include metrics such as:
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization),
• Key word search,
• Web site click-on and click-through rates,
• Time per visit on the web site,
• Content features,
• “likes” and “sharing”
• Purchases
• Etc., etc.
Digital automation and machine systems that enable 24/7 content

delivery and ongoing key metrics to help guide MDT brand content and
online web presence can also help deliver high levels of brand awareness
and online community engagement. These high levels of awareness in-
turn can translate into successful in-person tradeshows and branded
ancillary product revenue streams.
MDT Organizational Content Development Structure and Skill

Sets
As shown below, 24/7 digital content production will require new human
and technical resources within the organizational structure of the MDT
brand team.
Specific content and IT development resource requirements within the
MDT brand team will vary depending upon the size of the organization
and the tradeshow(s) it supports.
Determining these resource requirements will be part of the systems
review and staffing assessments that tradeshow management must
undertake in building its own content production machine systems.
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24/7 MDT BRAND/CONTENT AND TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT TEAM
Brand Management Team Technical Resources Team

Brand manager IT department head
Research/metrics/data Chief technology officer
SEO/community manager Systems architect
Content manager Systems administration
Editors Web master
Reporters Programmers
Content vendors Outside tech vendors
Moving to a 24/7 Machine System

Moving to an integrated machine system will require a sequence of steps
over time. 112
One of the first steps in the move from the tradeshow organizer model
to the brand management model will be to recognize that the people
who have historically managed the “organizer system” must re-
conceptualize how their “digital” business model will look going
forward. (See Chapter 15 for a full discussion of this journey.)
This business re-conceptualization includes investigating the relevant
technologies, what they can accomplish and possibly meeting with
outside organizations and consultants that are familiar with digital
systems conversions.
This business re-conceptualization also involves the overall brand
strategy, organizational structure, staffing levels, job skills, work
processes and the pace and speed at which the organization operates.
This digital conversion journey will take an investment of time and
money that traditional show owners have not been inclined to make in
the past.
Show owners will also have to make ongoing technology investments to
keep their software and systems up to date to meet the changing needs
of their customers and internal process innovations.
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These ongoing technology investments (i.e., costs) are the kinds of

investments traditional “organizers” are not used to making; and they
are also an expense that can possibly reduce bottom-line results.
24/7 Success
Among the benefits of successfully building a 24/7 Show (i.e., Modern
Digital Tradeshow) is the creation of a branded marketing machine that
engages and builds community brand loyalty in ways an organizer
tradeshow model no longer can.
Brand loyalty translates into continuing community support for the
show, the ability to build the show’s brand portfolio of sub-products,
and the potential to increase total revenue through both increased
community brand engagement and non-tradeshow related brand
extensions.
The Case for Small Show Systems Conversion

A case could potentially be made that small shows, conferences and
events do not need a full-on integrated system. The overhead and cost
of a large system are not justified and the organizer management model
is “still good enough” given the job that must be done.
The decision to stay with the current organizer management model and
Excel spreadsheets may be appropriate AFTER going through the
strategic planning assessment of the shows and the enterprise as
outlined in Chapter 15.
Staying with existing systems and processes because they are familiar to
the organization is leaving the show(s) and the enterprise vulnerable to
major shifts in the markets and universes they serve.
Even for small shows and small producers, digital systems and
marketing changes must take place over time, although at a
somewhat slower pace. Chapter 15 prepares the smaller shows and
enterprises to hold the internal conversations necessary to
understand the changes that that they will eventually have to make in
the years ahead to remain competitive and viable.
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Chapter 11
The Integrated Digital Machine System Exists Today
Models of existing branded, enterprise wide integrated, 24/7,

digital machine systems are available now for study and
reverse engineering by tradeshow owners.
Studying what already exists enables tradeshow owners to

quickly develop prototype models of what their own integrated
and digitized enterprise system could or would look like as a
finished product.
By creating their own prototype digital machine system designs from
existing examples, tradeshow owners can then reverse engineer
backwards to the underlying system architecture, IT systems, apps,
design resources and vendors they would need to actually build their
own branded content and production machine systems.
Examples of the existing branded machine systems include:
www.bizbash.com,
www.marketingprofs.com,
www.cmo.com,
www.blogher.com, and
www.contentmarketinginstitute.com.
These sites started life as online-only editorial, information and

community engagement content sites.
From their native online beginnings, these sites developed
comprehensive web site production workflow and editorial systems to
create, source and distribute 24/7 branded digital content to their
target market communities.
They next extended their online brand into tradeshow, meeting and
education products to satisfy the in-person, face-to-face
needs/demands of their online communities. These events were built
and marketed off of their integrated enterprise wide IT systems.
These in-person brand extensions have gone on to provide these
site owners with increased brand recognition and more individual
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revenue streams. These in turn have increased total brand

awareness and brand equity. These brand extensions have also
reduced dependence on only one revenue source (the web site).
Magazine publishers also can extend their branded editorial products
and existing reader communities to in-person branded tradeshows,
meetings and other revenue sources. Magazines already have the
workflow processes, reporters and content development capabilities to
make these brand extensions work.
For example, the modern design consumer magazine DWELL created
the “Dwell on Design” show (www.dwell.com). This move has
extended the DWELL brand deeper into its market, expanded the
range of content for both the magazine and the tradeshow, and
expanded the range of interactions that DWELL can have with both
existing customer universes and future potential customer universes.
Dwell on Design has also had a very positive impact on DWELL
advertisers, who are now also exhibitors.
These DWELL advertisers can now move their magazine on -page
reader relationship into a live on-floor in-person relationship to more
comprehensively engage their potential customers and
recommenders (e.g., architects, designers) on a face-to-face basis.
The Digital Machine System at Work

Because tradeshow owners start with an existing tradeshow, they must
work backwards, compared to a web site, to add 24/7 content
production and have a fully integrated multi-media asset, with both a
show and content, similar to the above web site and magazine
examples.
Marketing automation and digital computer systems vendors are key
factors in moving a tradeshow producer to a 24/7 digital content delivery
model and production capability.
Advanced marketing automation computer systems can also integrate
with other internal enterprise systems such as past attendee lists,
SEO, tradeshow production and enterprise accounting systems to help
the MDT brand succeed in its 24/7 programming.
It is the fact of immediate, integrated, internal information sharing that
also makes these digital systems so powerful as management and
marketing tools for a tradeshow brand management team.
The three sites-www.bizbash.com, www.marketingprofs.com and
www.blogher.com provide different aspects of machine systems and
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integrated multimedia assets for tradeshow management prototype

analysis and format consideration.
Www.bizbash.com is a site that demonstrates high activity on a daily
basis and brand expansion to many different product forms, including its
own branded meetings, tradeshow and publication products.
This site is in the meetings, public relations and event industry
business. News is breaking all the time and speed to publish up-to-
the-minute daily news is very important to this community.
The level of daily activity on this website also demonstrates that behind
the scenes there is an internal BizBash system and staff that is geared to
speed and multimedia production to include 24/7 breaking news,
meetings and print product production.
BizBash also produces print magazines, directories and other print
products, both for regional and national markets. The regional editions
deliver local in-depth community involvement and the opportunity to sell
BizBash-branded regional advertising, meetings and training.
Www.marketingprofs.com demonstrates a very comprehensive site with
many, many features and offerings. Starting with the ability to visit the
site for free, the site then encourages the visitor to upgrade and become
a paid member with access to special content and website activity
discounts.
In addition to free content, this site includes many offers of fee-based
webinars, white papers, e-conferences, in-person events and courses.
These are additional site revenue streams with many of them developed
and delivered by joint venture partners and contractors.
This site is a very good example of how a 24/7 digital, branded site has
dramatically expanded its engagement across a wide breadth of its
potential universe. It includes every medium of content exchange and
has thereby significantly increased its number of individual revenue
streams.
Important also to note is that marketingprofs.com went from a zero-
follower, on-line start-up business to one that now has over 600,000
followers based upon the depth, breadth and quality of its content.
Www.blogher.com, a site for women bloggers, demonstrates a
community run for and by the interests of a specific community. The
design of the site itself is reminiscent of a blogger’s site and organized to
facilitate its own community blogging. There are seven subject area
blogging tracks, each with subsections.
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Because of the interests expressed by the community to meet face to

face, www.blogher.com established its annual convention (e.g., BlogHer
‘16). The conference program is on topics of interest to this community
and includes a show floor with exhibitors and booths.
Interestingly, BlogHer exhibitors are not technology companies. Instead
they are consumer packaged goods and cosmetics companies with
female target audiences. In exchange for booth samples, exhibitors
encourage attendees to use social media blog posts to extol their
products to their individual (primarily female) blog followers.
Show management estimated the larger community reach of the BlogHer
attendee community, during show days, is between 70 million and 90
million women. Quite a target audience reach for consumer goods
exhibitors in exchange for product samples given out in their booths.
Open vs. Closed Models and Additional Revenue Opportunities

A major structural difference between the above machine models and the
current tradeshow organizer model is that the 24/7 model is an “open”
model and the tradeshow organizer model is a “closed” model.
The tradeshow organizer model is closed to outsiders influencing or
controlling any aspect of the tradeshow or event. The show team owns
the event, its content and configuration.
The 24/7 model is an open and interactive platform that recognizes that
the participant universe “owns” the platform.
The 24/7 model understands that if the community stops engaging with
the site, the property goes out of business. Therefore, to stay in
business the site owner constantly listens to and engages the site
universe.
The other aspect of the open 24/7 model is the ability to increase
community engagement and revenue through joint venture agreements
with outside content providers.
With multiple content-providing JV partners, the “open” brand can
rapidly ramp up its content offerings to its community while also
dramatically extending its range of influence beyond the original
audience for each of its JV partners.
For tradeshow brand owners, the movement to a digital 24/7 model
will facilitate the potential for rapid content expansion throug h JV
content development. It will also provide the tradeshow brand with
new expanded audience reach and increased financial results through
expanded marketing activities to the JV partners’ existing universe.
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Integrated Media Companies Are Already at an MDT Advantage

The implementation of a Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) content
machine system gives existing integrated media companies (e.g.,
Penton, UBM) a competitive advantage in the marketplace vs.
standalone tradeshow producers.
This competitive advantage exists because integrated media
companies already have a following for their magazines (and other
products/services) and they reach readers (potential tradeshow
audiences) on a more frequent basis throughout the year (e.g., 12
times a year for a monthly publication).
Integrated media companies already have content and content
development systems in place and are continuously generating fresh
content via their publications and other product/service offerings. Their
path to a fully integrated MDT machine system format is a logical
progression for their existing properties, systems and people.
Machine Systems: The Tradeshow Industry is Just Beginning Its

Conversion
Some shows and show owners have seen the need for new digital
tools and systems in their organizations in order to take advantage
of production efficiencies through the use of software vs. historical
paper-based systems. They have already started thinking about
the strategic and tactical issues related to changing their processes
and implementing newer technologies.
Some vendors and suppliers are providing modular system pieces
for show organizers to utilize as part of their service offerings to
show owners. Some registration companies and some general
service contractors (GSC) have software modules and digital tools
to help show owners start the journey to becoming MDT
producers.
Core MDT Process: Converting Paper to Digital (i.e. digitization)

Over the past few years, the tradeshow “organizer process” has gone to
outside service bureaus and registration companies to convert paper
systems into digital files.
For example, Exhibitor Service Manuals have been converted from
printed binders to digital files. Orders for on-site services have been
converted from paper forms to electronic forms. Floor plans and
exhibitor booth assignments have gone digital.
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As part of the digitizing process, and to meet the growing attendee

use of smartphones, the industry has implemented digital
“applications” (apps) in venues for the on-site visitor.
Apps have essentially replaced several paper and paper-based
processes.
Apps have included everything from educational session schedules, to
show guides, to appointment schedules to (more recently) real-time
downloads of speaker slides during the actual presentation.
App utilization has generally centered on digitizing the visitors on-site
plan, activities, site navigation and time schedule.
Apps have also added flexibility to show management to change
things at the last minute via software updates, rather than printing
change notices and hoping everyone gets the changes.
Systematizing the Organizer Processes

Consistent with the tradeshow organizer management model, tradeshow
owners have outsourced to vendors this digitization on a module-by-
module basis.
As one function or step was digitized (e.g., call for papers submissions),
it became a service module the vendor could offer to many show
organizers.
Over time, these vendors digitized many individual paper processes and
thereby created several individual digital modules to meet the needs of
the show organizer community.
Because of this digitization of former paper files, many show owners are
now beginning to realize they can create a “system” of linked digital
modules and processes...either internally or externally managed by one
or more service providers.
The largest companies in our industry have started investigating and
strategizing how they can move forward with their own digital systems
and analytical approaches to the new marketing and business building
challenges ahead.
For example, Reed Exhibitions, Penton, UMB and other large show
producers are already wrestling with the organizational and tradeshow
production issues related to implementing new digital systems.
The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has published a case
study on how twelve of these large organizations have, and are,
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approaching change and digital technology implementation and

utilization. 269
Software as a Service (SaaS)

Outsourced service providers have led the way in convincing show
owners to move in the digitized systems direction based upon their
historical knowledge and service delivery in digitizing individual modules
related to producing a show.
The trend of having outside vendors provide software services is
called…Software as a Service (SaaS). This means that a software vendor
develops a specific app or system and “rents” it out to clients as a
service. The vendor acts as a service bureau to the client and the client
gets the data-service the software provides and does not have to pay for
the development or hosting of the software itself.
Registration companies, multi-function general service contractors
and some existing industry software/service vendors have expanded
their offerings to start to include “SaaS” types of services.
Outsource companies like a2z and Cvent for example have created a
number of service “modules” (e.g., call-for-papers management, floor plan
management, blogging, etc.) that can be “hired” individually. They can
also be linked together into a type of digital “system” depending upon the
needs of their client organizer.
For smaller tradeshow, meeting and event owners with smaller staff
resources, these SaaS outsourced capabilities and modules can
potentially enable them to begin to produce their events with more
modern digital systems capabilities that they could not easily or cost-
effectively build on their own.
SaaS may become an important part of the tradeshow industry digital
ecosystem. Going forward, technology will change at an even faster rate
than it is changing now. For all but the largest tradeshow owners (e.g.
REED, UBM) keeping up with the technology may be beyond what can
be reasonably expected given staff and financial resources.
SaaS vendors may enable smaller show owners to make the MDT
conversion at a faster pace and lower cost than if they were to attempt
the conversion strictly on their own.
However, despite SaaS vendor support, these smaller show owners and
managers will still need to keep up with the evolution of technology and
modern branding and marketing practices.
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Will the Tradeshow Industry let SaaS Dumb Down Its Future?
The short-term benefit of using outside SaaS vendors may potentially
also be a longer-term problem for tradeshow owners and associations.
Outside vendor use may become a problem because the more expert the
SaaS vendor, the less incentive for a show team to make the necessary
investments of time and money to master the significant business,
marketing and digital systems issues needed to produce a highly
competitive, branded event on their own.
Dependence on an outside vendor can potentially lead to a relative
“dumbing down” of the show team’s expertise through not upgrading
staff skills, not hiring new skill sets, not investing in more advanced
research techniques and not investing in advanced internal digital
management, content production and marketing systems.
The traditional tradeshow organizer management model is a generalist
set of skills across a broad range of the functions necessary to organize
and floor a tradeshow. If this SaaS outsourced generalist model is
continued without the necessary internal investments, the show team
will fall behind the evolution of the industry and contemporary b-to-b
marketing practices.
The 24/7 future will require tradeshow owners and associations to
also build their own advanced staff skills and brand marketing
competencies. They will need these competencies to thoroughly
understand their MDT tradeshow and to appropriately hire and
manage their vendors.
Software as a Service (SaaS) is only one of the many different tools a
future MDT team must know how to manage and interpret its results
to create their own business building strategies and implementation
programs.
Show Management Takeaway

Looking at the current web site/product offerings of some of the case
examples noted above, and working backwards, show management will
be able to start to conceptualize the design of their own prototype MDT
machine system templates.
With these templates in mind, tradeshow owners can work with their
vendor sourcing/outsourcing team to build a strategy and plan for their
own integrated 24/7 digital content and production systems.
The above case examples also show that the MDT open model in
which the community “owns” the event, instead of a closed one in
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which the tradeshow team owns the event, can generate additional
branded profits and revenue streams while also meeting rising
customer expectations.
As an industry, we are just starting to play catch-up in the digital
conversion and digital systems game. Given the increasing
competition for exhibitor/customer marketing dollars, we’re going
to have to move faster in our digital systems conversion process to
stay highly relevant in the b-to-b digital marketing world.
Our large customers, both exhibitors and attendees, are already
ahead of our industry in their digital conversion processes and daily
applications in running their businesses.
Their rate of spending on these advanced technologies and
marketing practices is increasing now, and will accelerate in the
future, as they continue to build more sophisticated digital systems
and customer development capabilities.
Marketer and large exhibitor increasing marketing systems
capabilities means more customer-direct marketing and intention to
directly control the customer experience without the need for a
tradeshow or a show organizer.
As will be noted in Chapter 15, it will take time, patience and process
development for individual show owners to make the transition to a
digitally integrated, systems-driven MDT show and marketing enterprise.
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Chapter 12
The Brand Factory: Operations and Sales
Every brand has a factory where the brand is manufactured.

Production management is a professional discipline focused on
delivering a quality product. The tradeshow brand factory is
focused on delivering a compelling brand experience.
The brand factory in the tradeshow industry is the operations,

customer service and sales departments. These departments
manufacture and produce the branded tradeshow “product”
that is a high-value compelling experience vs. any other
experience its target community might consider.
Within the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) organization structure,
operations and sales will become more involved in day-to-day customer
interaction under brand management and its 24/7 ongoing research,
inbound marketing activities and community involvement.
Integrated data reporting systems, constantly updated metrics and
community input on show features and design will provide substantial
feedback regarding what attendees are expecting to “get” by attending
that tradeshow.
Under the MDT structure and the brand manager’s direction, operations
and sales will translate the data and research into creating and delivering
a compelling, branded, high-value customer experience for both
attendees and exhibitors.
Operations: Increased Complexity

As time goes on, the operations executive’s job will become more
important, difficult and complex. Everything-from labor skills for set-
up/tear-down, registration system vendors, on-site social media activities
and their vendors, on-site data collections systems, etc. will become
more sophisticated and complex and require more skills and capabilities
to implement and manage.
Skill with hotel and venue negotiations, general service contractor
management, venue services delivery, Internet/WiFi connectivity,
exhibitor-appointed contractors and labor issues, etc., will only grow
more important and sophisticated as time goes on.
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Cost control and service delivery will always be constants in operations

focus.
The operations executive will become more deeply involved with the
brand’s ongoing 24/7 community development activities as part of the
exhibitor relations program. The operations team will provide stories,
interviews, videos and other exhibitor participation activities that will
feed into the brand’s inbound/outbound content marketing and social
media activities.
The operations executive will also translate the brand manager’s brand
positioning, brand promise, research and strategy into a fully
operational, non-boring, digitally connected tradeshow...and compelling
on-site customer experience.
The operations executive must…STAMP OUT BORING SHOWS.
Operations Complexity: Issues and Focus
The tradeshow product itself will grow more complex over time because
there will be more moving parts and cost centers associated with it.
Producing and managing increased complexity will fall directly on the
operations executive’s shoulders.
• Software and WiFi for on-site networking, scheduling, literature
distribution, way-finding, peer identification, educational session
attendance verification and exhibitor lead contact/tracking will become
standard practices at tradeshows. The increasing capabilities of
smartphones, tablets, VR Headsets and cloud computing will drive the
demands for more of these on-site connectivity, data delivery and social
media access services for both attendees and exhibitors.
• On-site data collection and its related strategies and technologies
will also grow in importance over time. These include NFC, RFID,
iBeacon scanners and new, not yet invented, data collection techniques.
Collecting on-site data and analyzing it in real time will only grow in
importance over time to the MDT brand management team.
• Operational excellence, problem solving, on-site brand-promise
delivery, cost control and department integration into the upgraded 24/7
digital systems of the brand will clearly demonstrate the ongoing need
for highly competent operations executives as integral to the MDT brand
management team.
• Superior customer experience delivery is the outcome of all the
planning and on-site activities. The brand team and the operations
executive will need to include customer experience (CX) management,
including segmented attendee experience and on-site attendee “journey
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mapping”, as a key criteria and deliverable in the design and execution

of the MDT.
It is high-quality and on-target customer experience delivery that will
keep a tradeshow brand highly viable and “preferred” in its exhibitor and
attendee communities.
Due to the on-going increased capabilities in everyday media exposure,
the MDT on-site attendee experience must be engaging and something
that is…not generally available anywhere else.
• Media, education and portfolio branded “products”. The future
will present more options to create/extend product development and
marketing opportunities that will involve the operations executive and
staff. These could include streaming the event, webinars, on-line speaker
interviews/courses, post-event education session distribution, etc.
In ten years, the major tradeshow venues will become completely and
comprehensively wired facilities with high tech communications,
attendee and exhibitor tracking with real-time data collection and real-
time data analysis capabilities. In ten years major venues will become
“smart building” data centers as well as exhibition floors.
Venue technologies will include advanced technologies such as video
tracking, in-hall GPS services and tracking, comprehensive hi-speed wifi
services via the new 5G wireless technology, virtual reality and
augmented reality services throughout their campuses, delivery of real-
time two-way interactive virtual reality conferencing services and
comprehensive data collection and analysis capabilities any way an MDT
team wishes it to be collected and analyzed.
These “smart buildings” will also enable show management to change
show programming or the tradeshow floor, on the fly, based upon what
they learn from real-time data reporting and analysis (e.g. not enough
floor traffic visiting aisle 5).
The operations manager and staff will need more sophisticated
technology skills and marketing experience to fully deploy these new
capabilities, gather/analyze the real-time analytical data they generate
and “tune” the quality of the attendee’s at-show experience.
Sales: Managing the Customer Journey

One of the future tradeshow Sales Team focus points will be successfully
managing the “customer Journey”...to their ultimately saying “yes”.36,37
“Customer Journey Mapping” and “Voice of the Customer (VOC)” are
some of the techniques now being employed by marketers to understand
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and manage the steps and stages customers go through in deciding to

buy. From understanding these steps and stages marketers are moving
to...”managing the customer journey” and helping move the customer
purchase decision to “yes”.
The future selling of exhibitors into tradeshows will require the sales
team, and the marketing team, to build integrated exhibitor programs
to manage the customer journey. These programs will require among
others:
• Exhibitor needs and objectives assessments
• Exhibitor journey mapping research studies
• Exhibitor-success training materials and programs
• ROI metric tools for exhibitors to use
• Marketing and communications programs targeted at exhi-
bitors
• Digital systems to track and assess exhibitor interaction with the
shows web/digital media and portals to assess how engaged each
exhibitor is with a given show
• Increased show team sales force skills training
• ABM (Account Based Marketing) the newly emerging approach to
integrating sales and marketing
By building coordinated exhibitor sales and marketing programs at

each stage of the customer journey, the show team will be better
able to move the (exhibitor) customer to the next stage of his journey
and finally on to “yes”, a closed sale.
These coordinated marketing and sales programs (Account Based
Management) will integrate digital touch points and personal selling
touch points along the customer journey path to closing the sale.
Attendee research will play an important role in converting exhibitor
show interest into exhibitor booth sales.
Increasingly over time, as exhibitors can measure their digital efforts
and calculate its ROI, they will want attendee research to verify that
their investment in tradeshow exhibiting will also return an acceptable
level of ROI.
The sales team, along with marketing department support, will need
appropriate attendee research data to convince exhibitors of the
merits of exhibiting in their show.
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Show Sales teams: Ever More Channels and Opportunities

In moving to the 24/7 MDT content platform, the sales team will also
become more deeply integrated into the management aspects of the
MDT brand due to its constant interaction with the exhibitor community.
Within the brand management structure, the MDT sales department
will take on more sales responsibility across a broader media and/or
event product inventory.
Sales will continue to have the responsibility to sell the traditional show-
related products like booth space, show directory advertising,
sponsorships, etc.
The 24//7 interactive brand platform, however, also means sales has
more opportunity to sell a whole range of newly developed online
“media” products and sponsorships as well as cross-linked digital
media and on-site tie-in packages.
• With a 24/7 marketing calendar , sales will have
the opportunity to create “packages” and “bundles” of
advertising and marketing opportunities for exhibitors. This
means sales, in conjunction with the brand manager, must
create these packages, train the sales force to sell them,
monitor sales progress on these packages and also focus on
selling tradeshow booths and sponsorships. Sales force training
on this will be increasingly necessary.
• Integrated technology will assist the sales department to be
able to identify potential exhibitors through the brand’s SEO
search activities and community interaction. SEO search and the
brand’s ongoing community interaction will also facilitate the
sales department knowing what is going on in the industry that
can help it better relate, and sell, to potential exhibitors.
Marketing/sales automation systems will also factor in as sales
team tools and techniques. 167,168
• Customer satisfaction. The sales department will be asked
to increase its effectiveness in exhibitor customer relations and
exhibitor satisfaction. Human-centered and consultative selling
techniques, backed up with increased brand-generated
attendee research/metric data, will help the sales department
close sales, demonstrate ROI and build compelling customer
experiences.
The brand’s sales department will also partner with its marketing and
communications professionals to produce sales videos, video blogs and
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other advanced technology enabled sales techniques. These are

evolutionary strategies for the tradeshow industry.
Over time, even more advanced sales and marketing approaches must
be employed as they will be driven by advancing customer technology
usage and newly emerging professional marketing and sales techniques.
Desktop and face-to-face video-chat capability are advancing rapidly.
Desktop video sales calls will become a common practice in the next five
years. (Services such as Skype and go2meetings.com make this easy to
accomplish now.)
At present, rapid advances in smartphones and smartphone usage will
require the sales department to work with MarCom and the technology
department to be totally integrated into the brand’s communication
system to deliver sales information, floor plans, contracts and show rules
in any device format (i.e., smartphone, tablet, desktop, etc.).
Video-chat and mobile video streaming media apps will become
important sales tools in the future as well.
In time, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technology will be
integrated communication tools in the sales department customer
development arsenal. These advanced tools will require more skill,
sophistication and assistance from the MarCom department to be used
effectively by the sales department.
Immersive Technology Impact on the Tradeshow Industry

In five years, two-way virtual reality and augmented reality conference
calls will be commonplace. B2b sales teams will be able to give
“immersive” product presentations to potential customers using VR and
AR technologies.
This means that sales people at potential exhibitor companies can give
their own potential customers a Virtual Reality product demo over the
phone that would immerse that customer in their product.
For example, a tractor salesman can give a potential customer a VR
“ride” in the tractor, a plowing demonstration with the tractor and a walk
around inspection of all the features of the tractor…without the customer
leaving his office…or going to a tradeshow.
The question the tradeshow industry will need to answer in selling
exhibitors to buy booth space in an in-person tradeshow will become…”
if I can sell a potential customer direct with a high-quality VR
demonstration…why do I need to exhibit in your tradeshow?”
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Tradeshow marketers and sales teams will need research studies,

technology applications, community brand development and high quality
customer experience delivery to be able to effectively respond to this
question and bring exhibitors physically onto tradeshow floors.
Exhibitor Customer Experience Management

Exhibitor customer experience management will be a key part of future
MDT success.
With exhibitors having more e-alternatives for their marketing dollars,
tradeshow owners will need to increase their exhibitor outreach and ROI
justification as part of managing the shows exhibitor customer
experience.
Exhibitors will still have the usual issues of costs, union labor, freight,
not enough traffic, didn’t get enough leads, etc., etc. They will still
complain.
Going forward however, the issue is not whether exhibitors have
complaints. The issue is whether the brand team is focused on
enhancing the exhibitor experience and delivering the outcome
exhibitors were given to expect in the pre-show exhibitor sales process.
Were exhibitors visited in their booth on the show floor by the brand team
and thanked for their business? Were issues resolved quickly and with a
smile? Did they receive thank you cards after the show? Etc.
Building an Exhibitor Experience Management system and process, plus
metrics and assessment tools into the operations and sales functions, will
be an important aspect of keeping exhibitors invested in tradeshows
going forward…despite their e-alternatives.
Erase the Dividing Line Between Sales and Exhibitors

The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) must erase the historical dividing
line between the sales/show team and the exhibitors that now says the
exhibitors are responsible for their own success and....” we just sell them
the space.”
Sales and customer service must increase their efforts and activities to
get exhibitors to step up their on-site exhibiting skills and booth
presentations and thereby increase their exhibiting results.
Actively taking responsibility for engaging exhibitors and helping increase
their total success also increases the exhibitor content-value of the show
for attendees because the exhibitors are actively engaged in the show
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and contributing to attendee success. Increasing attendee success also

increases the exhibitor ROI as well due to the higher levels of attendee
show engagement.
WiFi, apps and great show design will not deliver a successful show if
the exhibitors are not professionally prepared to exhibit, actively engage
attendees and follow up leads.
Raising exhibitor skills and helping them prepare to successfully exhibit
and follow-up will be a critical and ongoing focus for the show’s sales
and customer service teams.
Because exhibitors comprise the major component of tradeshow content,
the quality and engagement of that exhibitor content must continue to
rise as attendee expectations for on-site engagement also rise. Sales and
customer service must lead this increased exhibitor-content effort.
Going forward, sales and the entire brand team must become
more engaged in the “Exhibitor Success Business.”
The “Exhibitor Success Business” means that by erasing the MDT brand
team us-them line between the show and the exhibitors, and bends over
backwards to help exhibitors succeed…everybody wins.
Think of it this way: Bad exhibitors pull down the energy of a show,
debase its integrity, add little value to the show and leave a bad
impression on attendees.
Successful exhibitors promote a show to their colleagues and customers.
They encourage the community to actively participate in the show…and
the show grows in stature and in results.
If the brand team “owned” (i.e., was responsible for) the

success of the exhibitors, then the brand team would implement
an aggressive program to assure exhibitor success.
Think of the Exhibitor Success Business as a form of concierge service
for exhibitors...no matter how backward, reluctant, “know it all,”
unskilled or unwilling they may be.
The VR and AR exhibitor sales team b2b customer sales options make it
too easy for exhibitors to default to these in-office digital tools and under
prepare for on-site live, in-person, tradeshow marketing…if they even
decide to do it.
It is in the tradeshow owner’s best interests to implement exhibitor
success initiatives to help exhibitors succeed...even if the brand team
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must drag exhibitors kicking and screaming to increase their level of on-
site success.
Exhibitor success easily re-justifies their tradeshow exhibiting investment
and reduces the probability of their shifting money to non-tradeshow
customer e-acquisition ( i.e. IR, AR) options.
New Sales Department Responsibilities: Attendee Sales

With the MDT focus now on attendees, the sales department will also
have to take on an expanded responsibility for attendee sales as the
industry moves to the future.
The retail industry is pioneering the development of attendee sales...only
they call it “customer service”. Historically they have had digital “chat”
capabilities built into their web sites. They are also experimenting with
automated “chat bots” to provide electronic systems to answer questions
and potentially take orders.
Now however they are also moving into testing “live video chat
assistance” to help prospects make purchases and become customers.
Early results show significant increases in closing sales using video chat
with a “live” person instead of a “chat bot” or other type of electronic
system.
Here the retail industry includes the traditional retail establishments plus
new hybrid entrants. The expansion of this concept of direct customer
sales interaction (including video chat) has started to include retail car
dealerships and catalog and on-line merchants.
This direct-customer on-line video contact trend is early now. It will only
expand and grow more robust as time goes on and customers get used
to this level of personal service. This increased on-line video chat
personal service also increases customer brand loyalty.
Live video chat and the implementation of sophisticated AI driven chat
bot systems will represent a parallel foot race between man and
machine. Each approach to customer service will have a place in the on-
going future. Various metrics, costs and sales conversion data will be
necessary for each organization to assess the mix of machine and
human it needs to optimize its customer service program.
Attendee sales for the tradeshow industry have historically relied on pre-
show telemarketing and outbound marketing materials. Once these
activities were launched the decision to attend or not attend was/is left
up to the potential attendee.
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Under current tradeshow industry practices the potential attendee has

no interactive avenue into the show team for more information OR to
customize the details of his/her on-site visit.
As the future unfolds tradeshow marketing and sales teams will need to
add the chat-bot and personal-selling capability to sell attending the
show directly to attendees. Tradeshow teams will need to add “attendee
interactivity” with the show as a necessary updated component of the
historical attendee marketing function.
Attendee interactivity style selling also fits with the larger brand
objectives of community brand building and moving prospects through
their personal buying funnel...to “yes”.
Interactive personalized selling to attendees could include such
activities/offerings as:
• Concierge packages and services
• Helping them build customized agendas
• 24/7 live operator assistance in a 4-8-week period prior to the
show
• Listening to attendee suggestions for show features
• Facilitating special needs (e.g. physical, diet, etc.)
• Providing private on-site translation services
• VIP programs (e.g. airport pick-up)
• Appointment setting services
• Handling complaints quickly and efficiently
• Booking group attendee packages and private meeting hosting
• Etc., etc., etc.
The emerging technology of “chat-bots” can accomplish some of this

through AI (artificial Intelligence) derived voice based interactive sales
scripts. This technology can be use as part of an active outbound voice-
marketing campaign via customer phone lists and auto-dialers.
Over the next five years this chat-bot technology, its uses/applications
and its capabilities will increase substantially. It will be used for both
outbound and in-bound marketing and customer service. Since these are
computerized voice systems their costs will be quite low vs. human
operators.
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The larger b2c and b2b worlds will increasingly offer the above types of
customer experiences to their customers (i.e. potential attendees) as
they do business with them on a day-to-day basis.
Increasingly customers, especially the younger emerging demographics,
are going to expect businesses to reach out to them, make it easy to do
business with them and to cater to them…and this includes their
tradeshow experience as well.
The future of a tradeshow’s success will increasingly need to include
attendee sales capabilities and programming that facilitates meeting
attendees needs and re-confirmation that this show is right for them and
their time investment.
Building attendee sales capabilities is a show management investment
that helps move attendee’s decision making from “no” I’ll stay home to
“yes” I’ll attend and further justifies exhibitor ROI.
Selling attendees to attend a show also means the show-promise of the
experience is in-fact an engaging experience. This means show owners
must…STAMP OUT BORING SHOWS.
The increasing Importance of Reputation Management

In a 24/7 online digital universe, reputation management is as important
as sales and marketing because your reputation will proceed you.
If attendees and/or exhibitors go online and trash a show for bad
customer service, poor value, a boring show, etc. show management will
have a difficult time restoring brand confidence and continued
community participation in that show. There are many case examples
where businesses have been seriously injured due to negative social
media experience and reputation postings.
Reputation management requires brand managers to have a reputation
management plan and appropriate resources in place. It also requires
active (24/7) monitoring of all social media to detect negative postings.
This same reputation monitoring capability can also pick up positive
social media postings which can then be used in pro-active marketing
campaigns.
Future of Tradeshow Experience Design: “Don’t Bore Me!”

Tradeshow brand managers must…STAMP OUT BORING SHOWS!
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Attendees want to be engaged. Attendees want neural stimulation.

Attendees do not want to be bored. Attendees want engaging customer
experiences.
Experience Design is a new emerging discipline that will grow in
importance over time. It is a professional discipline that includes
elements of neuro-science, architecture, space planning, psychology and
sociology among others. Its focus is to help create experiences that meet
people’s needs and emotionally engages them.
Experience Design applications now include shopping centers,
amusement parks, and malls. Event and meeting designers are now
beginning to investigate this discipline. The tradeshow industry will need
to add this skill to tradeshow staff capabilities as the future unfolds.
“Animating” a tradeshow so it has energy and excitement is a major future
focus of operations, sales, event design and brand management.
Un-animated and boring shows will not survive the millennial and Gen z
generations evolution into being the major tradeshow attendee
demographics over the next ten years. Boredom does not sit well with
these groups. They are in a hurry and want to be actively engaged…if they
attend at all.
Innovative, creative and engaging floor design and layout will become a
major operations skill-set to fight on-site boredom, increase a show’s
animation levels and ramp up total show engagement.
Long uninterrupted rows of 10X10 booths that all look alike are boring.
Dark corners in an exhibit hall are boring. So is a small show in a giant
venue with wide aisles. Likewise, with a slow show, open too many hours,
and with too few people.
Exhibitor boredom is just as insidious as attendee boredom because
exhibitors increasingly have e-alternatives – that are not tradeshows –
where they can invest their customer engagement dollars. Bored
exhibitors take their money and go somewhere else.
Event design that gives a show animation, life, energy, dynamism and
excitement will become a key operations and brand management skill.
What animation means will vary show to show and industry to industry,
depending on the personality of the industry (e.g., senior IT engineers
vs. hip hop musicians).
As previously noted, attendees who increasingly have higher levels of
neural excitement and stimulation through their everyday use of media
and technology in their homes and offices will expect no less neural
stimulation when they walk onto a tradeshow floor.
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At the very least, show design, floor layout, on-site programming and
execution must start from the attendee’s pre-existing neural platform
and build its animation and engagement levels up from there.
At-home virtual and augmented reality experiences, coupled with
millennial and Gen Z “NOW” time-frame expectations, means tradeshow
design and animation must include these larger societal trends and
factors as important in-put design elements.
This critical floor design issue will need creative solutions to assure that
smaller shows, and 10X10 alleys in larger shows, are not turn-offs to
attendees and exhibitors due to a lack of animation and inbred boredom.
Again, what animation means will vary show to show and industry to
industry, depending on the personality of the industry (e.g., auto
mechanics vs. cancer care nurses) and the age profile of the attendees.
The skills and art of both floor design and tradeshow experience design
must be innovated to increase attendee engagement/satisfaction and
stamp out boring shows.
Is Tradeshow Design Headed for INFOTAINMENT?

Many “events” today include a very strong entertainment component in
their design. As opposed to the historical “press party” at the event,
many events now include a host of entertainment features as integral to
the design and energy of the event...that may also include star
appearances and information releases to the press.
Many tradeshows have added evening entertainment as extended
features and networking opportunities for both exhibitors and
attendees. Some shows are adding on-floor entertainment at strategic
points in time and locations within a shows schedule.
Looking to the future, tradeshow design will need to expand its historical
conceptual framework to re-think the balance between “business” and
“entertainment”. The goal of this re-think is to increase the engagement
and appeal of a tradeshow by re-balancing the on-floor/at-site
information-entertainment (i.e. infotainment) design ratio of the show.
Shopping centers are now re-evaluating the components of their shopping
experience for both their store tenants and their mall shoppers (i.e.
attendees). On a preliminary research basis they are beginning to see that
food and entertainment are becoming important to their customers as part
of the total shopping experience. Initial research indicates these
components of the shopping experience will grow in importance in the years
ahead.
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New Technology Just Exploding on the Scene

Technology being developed today, and technology yet to be invented,
will make its way to the tradeshow floor within the next five years. Some
that seem likely to be widely deployed soon include:
• Drones: Drones with cameras and sensors are now actively
being employed in numerous industries on a trial basis. Their
development as remote wireless video camera platforms and as
carriers of various sensors has progressed rapidly. Their
application in outdoor festivals is already underway and it will
only be a matter of time before they are creatively employed
indoors at tradeshows and events.
• Virtual reality: The Oculus and Samsung Virtual Reality
headsets are starting to make their way into video games, retail
environments and exhibitor booths. As vendors, perfect software
and other formats for these types of systems, they will find their
way into more booths and larger display systems and on-site VR
rooms.
• Augmented Reality: popularity of the Pokémon-Go game has
rocketed Augmented Reality into society’s spotlight. AR will
become increasingly more popular as an interactive media
format over the next five years. AR is a digital file placed on a
digital picture. For example, a tattoo drawing can be placed on a
picture of a client’s arm to show the client what it would look
like. Furniture files can be placed on a picture of a client’s living
room to show what it would look like.
• Voice: voice interaction and voice control will become the
popular interface over the next five years. Voice interaction will
significantly increase transaction speed as well. AI, Artificial
Intelligence, technology has advance so far that computers and
smartphones can now easily recognize spoken speech and
respond in spoken voice. Voice interactive personal assistants
have been introduced with the latest Windows operating system
and in Apple products. Voice activated virtual assistants and
voice controls will speed-up the entire process of information
access, information delivery and data interaction.
• Holograms: The use of holograms is about to explode in
entertainment, booth displays and on-stage presentations. The
tradeshow industry will employ holograms as part of its AV
effects and its keynote speech programming. Exhibitors will
employ holograms in their booth presentations and in their
product displays.
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• Customer service robots (Bots): Lowes, the home

improvement chain, just introduced customer service robots in
two of its stores in San Jose, Calif. These are 3D-capable robots
that can voice-answer a customer’s question, “see/scan” a part a
customer brings into the store, find that part in the inventory
database and physically lead the customer to the product’s
location.
It is not a science fiction leap to believe these types of robots
will be on a tradeshow floor within the next five years. It is also
not a science fiction leap to believe these robots can be
designed to deliver in-booth presentations and answer attendee
questions.79
A hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, has just opened and is staffed by
robots. Front desk clerks, bell boys and bartenders are all
robots. (Only time will tell how well this works out.)
A San Francisco hamburger restaurant has just
opened...staffed by robots.
An on-line pharmacy is staffed by robot prescription filling
robots.
Speech-bots are now interacting with customers on both in-
bound and out-bound telemarketing applications. Getting
your credit card balance read to you over the phone or on a
network is accomplished via a speech-bot.
• Bots and “bot applications” will become significant
factors in the future. Bots can be connected to networks
and both manage operations (via IoT) as well as interact with
people. Their advantage is they can work 24/7, follow precise
protocols, reduce costs and easily satisfy the requirement of
repetitive operations.
As time goes on, marketing will develop many applications
for the deployment of bots as active agents in market
research, voice interactivity, dynamic presentations and
sales. Bots will grow smarter and their applications more
expansive as time goes on.
Tradeshow operations and marketing will need to learn how
to use bots to facilitate in-bound customer requests for
information as well as market a show via outbound marketing
applications.
• In-hall GPS and way finding: In-hall smartphone GPS
location finding, and show floor “from” and “to” routing
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capability is now available. Its usage will grow over time. This is
especially beneficial for large shows to reduce attendee
confusion, optimize attendee floor routing patterns, reduce
walking fatigue and enhance the customer experience.
• iBeacon, NFC and other data-gathering technologies
(e.g., under-aisle carpet sensors) are starting to be used by
show organizers to assess traffic patterns, better understand
high-interest show features and gather data about the on-site
dynamics of their attendees. It is hoped that the data gathered
through these techniques will enable show owners to create
more engaging customer experiences.
• Virtual presence platforms, as potential booth staffers and
as potential attendees. As previously discussed, this technology
is in essence an iPad mounted in a bracket on a 60” stick atop a
remotely controlled wireless mobile platform that looks like a
large vacuum cleaner motor.136
The remote user has a camera pointed to his face so the iPad
has the face of the user showing to others and the user can
see/hear what is going on in the remote location via a camera
and microphone on the remote platform.
Through a joystick, the user can move the platform around and
remotely talk to and interact with people in situations in the
location where the platform is physically located. The 2015
International CES show had one exhibitor select booth space on-
site via a virtual presence platform.
Future tradeshow industry questions related to this technology
could include, among others:
• can exhibitors staff their booths with virtual presence
robots?
• can attendees attend a show this way? and
• how many virtual presence attendees would be allowed to
attend a show vs. “real” people?
The Evolving Technology Future

Over the next five years, the retail and tradeshow industries will likely
see smart, voice-controlled, self-service, interactive customer service
kiosks and robots with holographic displays.
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These devices will provide a broad range of voice-interactive customer

service functions such as vendor look-up, directions, way finding,
merchandise profiles, product comparisons and voice delivered sales
presentations. They will also be able to provide this information via NFC,
or RFID transfer. The self-service kiosks can potentially carry enough
advertising to pay for themselves.
Software and services delivered to the smartphone, both digitally and via
voice, will continue to evolve in terms of capabilities and ease of use.
Mobile computing will continue to accelerate and so will mobile
advertising and marketing budgets.
The evolutionary path of technology will focus on engagement,
simplifying information delivery, mobile-advertising, sales conversion,
enhancing the customer experience and building brand loyalty.
Technologies and software not now invented will drive this new future.
For the on-site tradeshow, the brand manager must focus on customer
engagement and experience management to include: information,
gamification, networking, personal schedules, way-finding, social media
access, floor design/interaction, educational design and the delivery of
high value content. Techniques/technologies not now invented will also
have to be quickly adopted to stay current with the larger marketing
community.
On-site tools and engagement techniques will constantly change going
forward...not only because of advances in technologies, but also because
of rapid changes in regular-life consumer and entertainment
expectations.
For example, instead of a black tie dinner, an event may instead help
school children in its venue city master a software program because
millennials want to give back.
These advancing technologies, techniques and programs are aimed at
one thing...the design and management of a high-value, high-quality
total customer experience...that can also be extended to engage the
shows community via the ongoing 24/7 brand marketing platform.
Delivering a successful on-site customer experience, and maintaining
high customer traffic show-to-show, is the competitive difference that
will keep a tradeshow as an important component in its community and
in an exhibitor’s total marketing mix.
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Staffing Upgrade for the Tradeshow Team

The rise in importance of the operations, customer service and sales jobs
in the MDT will mandate more highly qualified candidates, careful
screening in the hiring process, formal training activities and upgraded
compensation programs.
Having the right people in the right jobs, assuring they are properly
trained and appropriately paid, will become more critical to MDT success
as time moves on.
At present, the tradeshow industry is concerned it may not be an
attractive industry to the Gen Y population as a career choice.
Intergenerational issues and steep industry learning curves may
discourage younger professionals from staying in the industry. In the
future it will be the Gen Z demographic the industry must attract.
Whatever the case, the tradeshow industry must reach out to attract
higher-level candidates for these key sales and operations positions.
The tradeshow industry will also have to become more creative in
developing new ways to train this Gen Y (and future Gen Z) population.
The historic on-the-job, work-your-way-up-over-long-periods-of-time
training process has not been as successful a technique for this group as
for previous generations.
The increasing industry complexity and upgraded service demands
ahead also mean more highly qualified candidates and new skill sets
from outside the traditional tradeshow industry talent set. These new
technology and marketing skill-sets must be attracted, employed and
become more thoroughly trained and quickly integrated into the brand
team than ever in the past.
Hiring, training, motivating and paying more diverse and highly qualified
job candidates, who want more responsibility sooner, will be a significant
disrupter of the historical tradeshow industry employee acquisition and
compensation model.
These new talent expansion requirements are disrupters of the historical
industry job categories, career processes and speed of responsibility
assumption by new employees. With the new digital, data and customer
experience challenges ahead, the industry must learn to attract, motivate
and successfully manage a new wave of talent if it is to stay competitive
and succeed in the future.
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Chapter 13
The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) Is Marketing
The modern Digital Tradeshow is a high value “product” that is
intensively marketed to attendees.
The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) is all about attendee

marketing. Without marketing, there are no attendees. Without
attendees, there is no show.
Marketing is the process of finding and moving prospects and
customers from “No” to “Yes.” From “No, I won’t attend your
event” to “Yes, I will attend your event.”
From “No, I won’t be a loyal fan of your brand” to “Yes, I will be a loyal
fan and promoter of your brand !”
The initial conceptual marketing step is to recognize that the

Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) is a product.
As a product, the MDT has boundaries and characteristics, forms
relationships and occupies space and time in its market segment.
As a product, there is an “intelligence” behind the brand, through the
brand management structure, that guides the building, development and
marketing of the MDT brand.
The marketing goals and objectives of moving prospects and customers
from “No” to “Yes” will always endure. However, constantly changing
techniques and new digital tools will be used to achieve this outcome as
we move to the future.
To build brand share and high-level top-of-mind-awareness for this
“product” in its potential universe, the MDT brand team focus will be
on customer research, value creation, marketing skills, marketing
processes, marketing intensity and compelling experience delivery.
The MDT Must Deliver Compelling Attendee VALUE

Value delivery is what drives marketing success and moves customers
from NO, I will not participate in your brand, to YES, I will engage with
your brand.
Knowing what people value highly, and are willing to pay for, creates
winning products and highly successful and profitable tradeshow brands.
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Products and tradeshows struggle where the value they deliver for their
intended customer is either not inherent in the design and delivery of the
product itself and /or not clearly communicated in advertising and
promotion copy and graphics.
Value delivery has to answer the target audience “Imperative question”…
WHY SHOULD I? “What is so important about your
show or brand that…I HAVE TO HAVE IT?”
Answering the Imperative Question for the intended attendee as to why
they “Have TO Have” your product or consume your tradeshow brand…is
the increasing MDT challenge of the future.
Going forward, the increasing challenge to tradeshow owners and
marketers is to research and understand what target audiences
value…and are willing to pay for…to then have the MDT create and
deliver it as a compelling customer experience.
Low value and poorly constructed tradeshows, and consumer brands,
will struggle to attract both exhibitors and attendees. They will not
survive.
Highly successful tradeshows, no matter what their size or topic area,
will be successful because they understand and deliver what their
audiences value…and what they are willing to pay the MDT to deliver.
There are two types of value in a tradeshow:
1. Intrinsic, or core, value.
a. At the “heart” of the industry or audience served
b. Are built into the design of the event before it is held
2. Amenity value
a. On-site at the event and may include things like:
1. Free parking
2. Coat check
3. On-floor lunch
4. Gift bags
Amenity values round out a show but are not fundamental or compelling
enough to move a potential attendee from No to Yes in deciding to
attend an event.
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Core value, being at the heart of the event or the attendee universe,
does move a potential customer from NO, I will stay home, to YES I will
participate in this event.
It is also necessary to understand that value has at least two major
components:
1. What it is that is valued, and
2. How specifically it is valued
For example, “networking” may be a highly-prized value at an event. But

then, how specifically should that networking value be delivered?
Should networking be delivered as a black-tie dinner for CEO’s? Or,
should it be delivered as a 5K charity run with a cocktail party
afterwards? Or should it include both functions given that the show has
older CEO’s and younger millennials in its target audience?
Individuals and organizations have “scales of value” they use to decide
what is important and what is not. By researching what the target
audience values highly…and is willing to pay for…makes if far easier for
the MDT team to deliver an event that is high up on its target audience
value scale.
As shown in the above graphic, the higher up the target audiences’

values scale the tradeshow is placed the easier it is to move that
audience from NO to Yes.
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Contrast this high value offering with a low value offering in terms of the
ability to move a prospect from NO to YES.
As shown above, it is almost impossible to sell a low value product or

service no matter how much money is put behind it because there is no
audience rationale or passion to own or experience it.
Over time, MDT marketing will require more and better research and
metrics on what the brand community and potential audience’s value,
how they value it and what they are willing to pay for in/at a tradeshow
experience.
MDT tradeshow success will increasingly hinge on value creation and
value delivery.
This means the brand team must:
• Utilize highly valued building blocks for the construct of the event
• Apply contemporary experience design principles (for all audience
segments)
• Execute dynamically on-site so guests leave with an
experience…not generally available elsewhere
Designing and building a high value experience requires research AND it

also requires a “consciousness” on the part of the MDT brand team
about the reality of their entire community and their target audience
segments.
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This consciousness adds the human dimension to the research studies

that guides the “art” of producing a high value winning event
experience…for all audience segments.
This consciousness also directs the advertising and promotion efforts
necessary to market the MDT show in general and specifically to
important target audience segments.
Advertising copy, graphics, media promotions, gamification, speakers
and all other aspects of experience design and execution flow from the
“consciousness” of really knowing the community and its various sub-
segments.
Building the MDT Brand Persona

In this customer demand economy, customers want to engage with
businesses they “like” as much as need or want and what they have to
offer.
The personality or “persona” of a business or tradeshow is an important
dimension of the value equation in the customer’s mind.
When a tradeshow has the right persona for its audience, and has added
the appropriate value, the target audience knows that…”the show knows
who I am and has produced this show specifically to meet my needs.”
Most current discussions of tradeshow persona center on discovering the
persona of the current attendees. Focusing on the attendee persona first
underestimates the power of persona research to build a compelling
tradeshow brand and brand experience.
Focusing on attendee persona presupposes the tradeshow persona is on
target with the market it serves. This is a false premise and could mask
significant shortcomings in the actual persona of a given tradeshow.
The MDT marketing strategy would research the tradeshow persona
first.
By researching its tradeshow persona first, the MDT brand team will be
able to change, modify or redirect the characteristics of the MDT persona
to increase its total audience appeal.
By increasing the appeal of its tradeshow persona, the MDT brand team
will be able to more thoroughly engage a broader audience universe
because its updated show persona is more attractive to that larger
audience universe.
Once the upgraded tradeshow persona has been established the MDT
brand team can research the persona characteristics of its current
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audience and also develop persona characteristics for its future growth
audience as well.
Persona research results of the current tradeshow audience will enable
the MDT brand team to determine a more comprehensive brand and
marketing strategy for both its current and future audience
development.
Future target audience development can now not only include existing
demographic and job title information but also the additional persona
characteristics that will help further engage the shows future target
audience universe.
Persona characteristics are translated into words, pictures, brand stories
and all other communications media. Persona characteristics help a show
understand the various sub-segments that are potential audiences for
that show and how those sub-segments need to be engaged with their
own unique messaging and media delivery.
It is the translation of the appropriate show persona into sub-segmented
targeted media and messaging that moves a tradeshow into higher value
characteristics for potential target audiences. These higher value
characteristics then convert to increased awareness and engagement in
the minds of these sub-segmented target audience universes which in
turn converts into show engagement and attendance.
MDT Marketing vs. Historic Tradeshow Marketing

Traditional tradeshow marketing moves in one direction...
outbound...from organizer to attendee. MDT marketing is different. It is:
• Two-way, interactive and uses both outbound and inbound
marketing/promotion techniques
• An “open-model” that encourages customer input to show design,
content direction and community promotion
• Research, data and metrics-based; and strategically managed
• Community focused and, at the same time, individually
personalized
• Branded and brand-managed on a consistent basis
• 24/7, digital, agile and fast-moving, and
• Cross-channel/omni-channel marketed to include every marketing
channel and medium...including all traditional media and such
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social media techniques as YouTube channels, pay-for-leads, PPC

(Pay Per Click), Facebook, Google, etc.
24/7 MDT marketing is similar in many regards to being a broadcaster.

The 24/7 Show must produce content and generate an audience (for
exhibitors) just like a 24/7 TV or radio broadcaster must produce content
and generate an audience (for advertisers).
Key broadcasting concepts are also fundamental to MDT marketing:
• Positioning---Where do you fit in the marketplace relative to
your audience and your competitors?
• Reach---How much of the potential audience do you reach with
your show awareness and messaging?
• Frequency---How frequently do you reach and “touch” your
audience?
• Top-of-mind awareness---When asked, how quickly does your
audience name you as being their “top-of-mind” in your market
niche?
• Share-of-mind---When thinking about all their options, where
does your target audience place you in their thoughts (mind) as
the place to get what it wants?
• Brand preference---Of all customer choices, where is your brand
ranked by your audience as their “preferred” choice?
• Programming---Is 24/7 content intelligently developed,
consistently delivered to the community and constantly
measured for its ability to attract, engage and hold an
audience?
The Importance and Value of Research and Data

Radio and TV broadcasters continually use research and metric data
tracking to evaluate their audiences, assess their share-of-market and
share-of-mind to help determine the programming direction of their
stations in their markets. It is this type of research data that is
fundamental to marketing and strategic decision-making.
Using research and listener/viewer feedback, broadcasters refine their
station programming, personalities or “personas” and strategy to attract
and retain a larger share of audience...then monetize it by selling
advertising.
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Based on audience data (e.g., Nielsen ratings), broadcasters also

program their stations differently at different times of the day and
days of the week to appeal to different audience needs. Station
success is based upon programming success to attract and hold
audiences for advertiser promotions and commercials.
A broadcaster in a crowded metropolitan market must constantly
work to understand its “community” and structure its programming
and persona to build, retain and monetize this audience. With so
many other e-media options now available, a broadcaster has to
stay relevant to its audience in order to be successful.
The tradeshow owner faces the same programming, audience building,
retention and monetizing challenges as a broadcaster.
The MDT brand owner must focus on building top-of-mind community
awareness and share-of-mind for its brand vs. all other events and all
other relevant e-media community options.
Looking to the next five years, the MDT brand owner will face more
intense engagement and retention issues as exhibitors find more non-
tradeshow opportunities to reach and engage potential attendees (e.g.
customer-direct-selling, private tradeshows, etc.).
The MDT brand team will need attendee/audience marketing focus, high-
quality research/data and marketing skills/intensity to build top-of-mind
awareness and brand loyalty to succeed in this future hyper-competitive
environment.
The Marketing Funnel

The marketing funnel is a graphic representation of steps and
processes necessary to attract and build a b-to-b audience for a
product (e.g., a tradeshow). 199,245
The funnel analogy is intended to help visualize the processes
required to discover prospects, engage customers and move them
along a series of steps, touch points and information stages that gets
them from “No” to “Yes” in making a purchase decision (i.e., attend
or exhibit).
“Mapping the Customer Journey” is one of the rapidly emerging
marketing research and strategic planning techniques that enables a
marketer to understand the processes a customer goes through in
deciding to buy or not buy a marketer’s product.
“Voice of the Customer” (VOC) is another market research and strategic
planning technique that enables a marketer to understand what a
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customer wants and the processes he goes through to express and get
what he wants.
Mapping the customer journey and VOC research results helps marketers
understand how their marketing funnel is performing in moving a
customer to “Yes.” These research results show what is working and
what needs to be fixed as the marketer moves the prospect through
each step in its marketing funnel to get to “Yes.”
Typically, the b-to-b marketing funnel is applied to exhibitor or b-to-b
account sales. Here, however, I am applying the marketing funnel
construct to tradeshow attendee development as well.
The left side of the funnel graphic (below) represents the MDT’s digital
approach to marketing. The right side represents the organizer’s
traditional approach to customer development.
As shown in the graphic, there are a series of steps that must be taken
to discover, engage and move a prospect along a path to a final sale
(e.g., buying booth space, attending the show, etc.).
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At present, most marketers in the tradeshow industry concentrate on

the historical methods of list buying or past attendee redevelopment
as the primary methods to promote attendance at a tradeshow. That
traditional outbound marketing and advertising is represented on the
right-hand side of the above funnel.
In looking at the marketing funnel there are three stages for general
consideration and action steps. The stages are:
• Top of the Funnel (TOF)
• Middle of the Funnel (MOF)
• Bottom of the Funnel (BOF)
At each stage, different activities take place to move a prospect along

the customer journey to finally say “Yes.”
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At the top of the funnel (TOF) on the left are several inbound marketing
tools. These include “search” tools, such as SEO (Search Engine
Optimization), that represent the process of searching for potential new
customers and audiences beyond the pre-existing tradeshow database.
“Search” is where more of a show’s expanded potential audience can
be discovered in existing blogs, Facebook accounts, forums, magazine
readers/followers, tweet streams, etc. Search is also where new
audience segments and/or new subject areas of a show can also be
discovered.
Using these newer inbound digital tools is not a current marketing
practice within the tradeshow industry today. These digital tools will,
however, become integral to MDT marketing practices....even as these
tools and practices change and morph in the future.
SEO is a professional discipline and it requires professionals who know
how to do it well. Naturally, as we move into the future, search and its
practices will change. It will not be the same five years from now as it is
conceived and practiced today.
Increasingly in the competitive future, “search” and SEO skills and
practices are fundamental to MDT marketing and building new
prospect participation in individual shows and events. Professional
search skills and capabilities enable a show to:
• Build expansive fan bases and opt-in customer e-mail and
marketing lists,
• Stay current with the issues of its industry,
• Gather BI (business intelligence) about its competition,
• Enter conversations in outside forums to introduce its show to
these new potential attendee and exhibitor audiences,
• Quickly and easily test new product ideas, marketing campaigns,
dates and locations, potential keynote speakers, etc.,
• Identify opinion leaders to support its show, and
• Gather research data about customers, market segments and new
opportunities.
A search professional must be employed or retained by the MDT to

keep it on course and up to date with the changes taking place in
this discipline.
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ATTACHMENT 1 includes a graphic representation of the

comprehensiveness of the various elements related to SEO and the need
for professional skills to manage this important discipline. The various
elements contained in this graphic will change over time as search tools
and SEO disciplines change.
Middle-of-the-funnel (MOF) activities include content and interactive
strategies that help dimensionalize the marketer’s products and services
and seek to more fully engage the prospect and move the purchase
journey along.
Activities here could include free offers, requests for more information,
trial subscriptions, free webinars, etc. MOF activities are most effective if
prospect information has been captured in the initial TOF level of
engagement so a more personalized brand follow-up can be made with
the potential customer.
For example, offering a free TOF report download where the prospect
had to enter a name and e-mail address enables the marketer to
implement a more personalized follow-on strategy to nurture that
prospect into the MOF through ongoing e-mail or staff follow-up
strategies.
Tradeshows in the future may become the MOF for exhibitors as they
move their customers through their own sales funnels.
Exhibitor tradeshow face-to-face in-person conversations, with a
pre-identified prospect (in the middle of that exhibitor’s sales
funnel), helps both the exhibitor and the attendee advance the
purchase journey.
The tradeshow industry will need to help exhibitors understand
that tradeshows can be their MOF stage and how to use
tradeshows in their total sales and funnel programming to move
their customers to YES.
Bottom-of-the-funnel (BOF) activities seek to more fully engage and
“qualify” the prospect and his/her buying intentions and specific product
needs. This is where lead follow-up on a post-show basis is so important.
Unfortunately, it is also where many exhibitors do not have appropriate
processes in place to convert leads to ROI.
BOF activities tend to also be more personalized and specific to the
individual prospect, due to the ongoing prospect data acquisition and
marketer direct interaction with the prospect along the funnel journey.
The BOF objective is to close a sale and convert a prospect into a
customer.
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Funnel strategy is a discipline in and of itself. Each stage of a

professional funnel strategy has a well-thought-out set of specific
disciplines and activities to engage a prospect and move the prospect
down the funnel to Yes.
Therefore, TOF, MOF and BOF stages have materials, content, and sales
processes specific to that stage to help move the prospect to the next
stage in the buyer journey sequence to ultimately say “Yes” and close
the sale.
Traditional tradeshow outbound marketing has no “funnel” per se. The
e-mails go out, the direct mail goes out and there are no funnel
mechanisms in place to determine where prospects are on their buying
journey or to move them along a buying process to the show.
Current tradeshow marketing has turned to e-mail metrics of open rate
and sign-ups for webinars, etc. Website metrics of “time on-site” and
sign-ups for webinars, etc., are also used. These are useful metrics and
important steps for an industry beginning to understand the Top of
Funnel activities and the concept of the customer journey.
Going forward, the tradeshow industry will need professional
Internet “search”, coupled with quality research, ongoing
community interaction and metric assessments to provide the
building blocks for high-quality MDT marketing campaigns and on-
target brand programming.
Future tradeshow marketing success will also have to include a deeper
understanding of the marketing funnel concepts and building the
necessary tools and processes to actively move prospects down the
funnel from TOF to BOF “Yes” (i.e. exhibiting and showing up on-site).
MDT brand success rests on its ability to be agile, highly relevant,
valuable and compelling to its community. Search/SEO and funnel
mechanics are important components of these advanced tradeshow
brand building capabilities.
Building the MDT Marketing Game Plan

In building the MDT marketing game plan, the MDT must also view itself
as a learning organization.
Interacting with, and researching, its community and marketplace
enables the MDT to “learn” from the market and then incorporate what it
learns into strategies and day-to-day game plan processes and activities.
Graphically, the MDT marketing game plan looks like this:
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The four phases of the MDT Game Plan are:

1. Metrics/research and data: Metrics are dynamic
measurements taken in real time and usually by digital systems.
Metrics include, but are not limited to, assessments of such
things as ad campaign likes, click-on and click-through rates for
web sites, downloads of white papers, etc. They are used to get
quick feedback of responses to actions taken by a brand.
Research and data includes both original and secondary
studies. Research and data collection and analysis are
activities that usually measure what has taken place over
time. They provide date-to-date time assessments to
determine what has taken place, what things “mean,” and to
gain deeper understanding of trends and changes that have
taken place over time.
Metrics, research studies and data analytics are used as input
components to the strategic planning process in step 2.
(If we were talking about a basketball team, this would be the
period during the off-season when the coach objectively
researches and evaluates the data on the league, his team’s
skills, strengths and weaknesses to then build his team’s
strategy to win games.)
2. Strategy: The approaches and courses of action to be taken on
behalf of the tradeshow brand to meet its objectives, along with
a thoughtful rationale for that strategy selection. There will be
an overall brand strategy as well as brand sub-strategies...like,
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for example, a brand’s content strategy. (See further discussion

on strategy later in this chapter.)
(Continuing the basketball analogy, a coach may decide that his
team strategy is to be a running and shooting team vs. a ball
control and defense-focused team. His strategy selection is
based upon researching and analyzing the strengths and
weaknesses of his players and the range of other strategic
issues/options to consider, e.g., practice time).
3. Plan: The detailed nuts and bolts of what will be done to
specifically implement the brand strategy to achieve the
brand’s objectives and outcomes.
(In the basketball analogy, once a running and shooting
strategy is decided upon, the plan for the team is to learn and
practice running and shooting plays to maximize the talent
and assets of the team.)
4. Implementation: The actual “doing” to get the plan up,
running and managed on a day-to-day basis.
(In the basketball analogy, for each individual game the team
plays, specific plays would be implemented. As the game
progresses, based upon the opponent and how well the team
was doing, new plays for scoring points and winning the game
might be implemented in real time as the game progresses.)
Once the plan is implemented in Step 4, the metrics of Step 1 kick in to
assess how well or poorly the plan and its implementation are working
(e.g., scoring points).
Continuing the basketball analogy, throughout the basketball game, as in
business, the coach/brand manager is evaluating his team in action and
watching the scoreboard (sales and brand share). Is the game plan
dictated by the strategy working? Is the team effectively implementing
the plan and scoring winning points? If it’s not working, what must be
done...now?
Marketing automation systems help the MDT brand team quickly digest
all the relevant data and marketing information to then be able to rapidly
and appropriately respond within the speed and pace of the
marketplace.
The MDT Marketing Game Plan in Action

As a learning organization, the continuing questions in implementing and
operating the MDT game plan are:
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• What do we know (about our community and what they want

from us)?
• What have we learned (because of community interaction and the
various marketing activities we have implemented and assessed)?
• What is our brand response to what we have learned?
• How quickly, and specifically, can we, should we, or do we
respond?
• What weaknesses or competitive threats do/must we overcome?
• What new opportunities have we discovered that we can
successfully exploit?
The answers to these questions guide the MDT brand path to building
compelling value, market engagement and involvement in the ongoing
dynamics of its marketplace community.
These answers also factor into the brand’s design and event
production...and/or the implementation of other products in the brand’s
portfolio.
For many brand activities, the MDT game plan process will be very fast-
acting.
For example, if an electronic brochure is e-mailed and metrics show very
few people opened it, the brand team can quickly go through the strategy
to check their assumptions about the brochure and then spend the time
necessary to make the appropriate plan and executional
adjustments...and then re-write the brochure, re-send it and re-measure
its results.
The practical realities of a tradeshow budget will help set marketing and
game plan priorities and strategies.
For example, a strategic decision might have to be made on whether the
brand spends money on extending its market “reach” or increasing
message “frequency” to raise its awareness levels within the existing
market community. These can be alternative strategic decisions related
to building the MDT brand that must be made within the context of the
available budget.
Budget discipline, priority setting and managing the game plan against
its various objectives will be an ongoing challenge for the MDT brand
manager.
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Investing marketing budget to achieve such short-term strategic

objectives as increasing the brand’s top-of-mind-awareness may need to
be balanced against longer-term strategic objectives such as increasing
bottom-line performance.
Context Shapes Brand Strategy
Brand strategy is built within the context of the community and the
environment the brand serves. 15, 209 This includes (among others) the:
• Domestic economic climate,
• Economic climate of the market the brand serves,
• Maturity of the market the brand serves (e.g., start-up or mature),
• Subject area of the show (e.g., fashion vs. federal ground water
management),
• “Persona” segments of the market (including age, gender, and
education), and
• Media and technology sophistication of the market
Sub-contexts operate within the overall context of a show. Each

sub-context may need a separate strategy and plan to develop that
item or opportunity.
Here are some sub-contexts show management needs to factor into
the development of its strategies and plans to market and enhance its
show:
• Overall economy,
• Show’s industry economic performance; and by industry sub-
sector,
• Exhibitors: current, past, new; exhibiting costs; media
opportunities,
• Attendees: current, past, non-attendees, SEO opportunities,
• Association members, boards, leaders, etc.,
• Media and promotion: segmentation, copy strategies, content,
• S h o w d e s i g n , o n - s it e a c t i v i t y pr o g r a m m i n g , d a ta
• Location, time of year, attendee expenses to attend, and
• Tradeshow competition; e-media alternatives
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To build an effective overall tradeshow strategy and plan, the brand

team must ask itself...”what is the context we are operating in now and
what is the projected future context between now and show time?”
Then it must ask itself, given each of these sub-context items that
contribute to the overall success of the show, what is our strategy
and ultimately our plan that incorporates or addresses these items or
issues?
For example, an association-produced show will need to understand the
context of its Board members in order to ask for budget; or determine its
annual event theme; or if it needs that historical black tie dinner for an
awards ceremony (even though those generally went out of style years
ago).
In this case, if the show team can change the board’s mind and not do a
black-tie dinner, the “context” of the show’s production requirements
(mandated by the board) would change and so too the show strategy
and show plan.
Understanding context, and/or being able to change or shift context,
enables tradeshow brand teams to develop strategies and plans to
maximize the opportunities, or minimize the challenges, they face.
The assessment of economic, competitive and environmental “context” is
done with the help of secondary research, original studies, data analysis
and knowing the industry the show operates in.
The major building blocks for the development of tradeshow strategy
includes such things as the context assessments for the economy as well
as industry economic projections for attendees and exhibitors (e.g., bank
interest rates and the availability of business loans).
Optimism and pessimism context assessments of the market and the
show’s exhibitor/attendee communities also factor into strategy
development for a given show.
In addition to the above, the competitive tradeshow environment also
contributes as a primary contextual building block for developing a
tradeshow strategy and plan. For example, is the plan that needs to be
developed an offensive or defensive plan based upon competitive
evaluations?
Brand Strategy Development

Some of the biggest brand strategy differences are related to the well-
being of the larger domestic economy. There are unique and different
brand strategies related to a: 27, ,54
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• Fast-growing economy
• Economy in recession
• Transition economy
By way of illustration, think of the tradeshows that were scheduled for

October, November and December 2008.
Tradeshow strategy up until September of 2008 was expansive,
based upon a high-growth economy in 2007. Tradeshows marketed
themselves as providing products and service for a growing and
expanding economy.
On September 7, 2008, the U.S. government took over Fannie May
and Freddie Mac, the two federal mortgage lenders. This, and other
economic factors, set off the rapid decline in the U.S. stock market
that followed. Between September 19 and October 10, 2008, the Dow
Jones index lost 3,600 points and the economy was in recession.
Tradeshow strategy in this dramatic case had to take a 180 -degree
turn from optimism to recession because of this severe contextual
shift.
Think about the dramatic change in strategy and the show plans that
had to follow (literally overnight), from the economy going from up and
optimistic to down and in recession.
Tradeshow strategy is very sensitive to context . Because

the tradeshow industry serves its client base, it cannot assert its
own independent direction and strategies and create its own context.
The tradeshow industry serves its clients within their context.
On a competitive and economic factor basis, a specific tradeshow’s brand
strategy can be:
• Offensive
• Defensive
• Transitional: from offense to defense or vice versa, or from how
we have always done it to having to make changes in business
process to meet new challenges
Offensive brand strategies seek to grow sales and increase market

share. For example, take over segments of a market either as a new
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show start-up or by adding additional show segments vs. another

show producer.
Defensive strategies are strategies designed to protect the current
business or protect against a competitive incursion into the market
segment of a given show.
For example, suppose a large show producer bought a small and
previously non-competitive show with the intent of growing that
show to a significantly larger size.
Existing shows in that market segment would need defensive
brand strategies to hang on to their relative importance (and sales
and profits) in that changing market segment. A defensive
approach might be to add out-bound telemarketing and increased
media spending on a pre-show basis to blunt the competitors move
into this market.
Transitional tradeshow strategies are related to change.

Effective transitional strategy development hinges on show
management’s ability to sense the direction and magnitude of
change, its potential effect on the context of the market the show
serves, and to then create and implement an appropriate show
strategy to keep its show moving ahead.
For the tradeshows in the 2008 economic example above, this need for a
180-degree strategy transition was immediate and direct. Everything was
clear and easy to see and understand.
Most transition economies are not this way or this easy to see and
understand. Most transitions are more subtle and are spread out over
time.
Building a transition brand strategy requires not only the ability to
assess the direction of change but also the willingness to implement a
transitional strategy that is big enough and deep enough to
effectively put the brand at the front of the transition...so as not lose
brand share and brand momentum by being behind the curve in
understanding and moving to and through the transition.
Tradeshow Industry Takeaway

Building and marketing the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) is a pro -
active process. It requires commitment and determination and is
based upon creating and implementing strategies and plans that are
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focused, contextually correct, community on-target, highly valuable,

compelling and cost/benefit efficient.
MDT marketing strategy and implementation plans are aligned with
understanding the context and transitions taking place in the market it
serves.
MDT marketing strategies/plans are built with appropriate research,
data and ongoing metric assessments that keep the MDT on course in
meeting its market segment needs, wants and desires as the market
and the economy change.
A tradeshow case example that demonstrates the implementation of
significant strategic re-direction in anticipation of important contextual
market changes is the November 2015 International Hotel, Motel +
Restaurant Show (IHMRS) on its 100th anniversary. The 2015 show
changed its name to HX, the Hotel Experience.
From the IHMRS press release announcing this strategic change:
“This multimillion-dollar investment, aimed at revitalizing the largest
hospitality trade event in North America, is founded on the belief
that true hospitality is anticipating a guest’s needs to create a
memorable and unique experience. To achieve that, HX will focus on
innovation, inspiration and information.
The deep-dive transformation from IHMRS to HX called on
industry experts, research-based data and prior-year show assessments
to identify what the show could and should bring to the industry.
It all came down to delivering true hospitality, that is, anticipating a
guest’s needs before they even know they need it. We all agreed we
wanted a show that performed at this level.
HX is now poised to deliver this brand of true hospitality for the
hospitality industry, rooms to restaurants. Every component of the
hospitality experience for hotels, motels and restaurants will be
represented in five new show divisions: Food & Beverage, Guest
Services, Technology, Kitchen Design and Rooms Division.”
This show team also had the courage to make significant changes and
take dramatic action to meet the context changes of their show’s
marketplace.
Through their research and market assessments, this show team
recognized the underpinning shift to the experience economy ahead and
has moved their tradeshow forward to be a part of it now...rather than
later.
This example demonstrates a show team’s willingness, courage and
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commitment to keep a traditional brand moving forward in its market

segment by utilizing the strategic tools and MDT Marketing Plan
tactics discussed above.
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Chapter 14
The MDT Marketing Game Plan and Future Challenges
Five years from now, marketing practices and techniques will be

significantly different than today due to the relentless march of
technology, marketing innovations and the increased
representation of the tech-savvy millennial generation in the
workforce.
Competition for customer eyeballs, top-of-mind awareness, and brand
and market share will increase the velocity of innovation in marketing
tools and techniques. These new tools and techniques will raise the level
of competitive pressures for sales growth, increased market share and
revenue/profit results.
However, basic marketing foundations will still guide the use and
direction of specific practices and techniques. MDT marketers, like their
more traditional peers, will still have to:
• Find out who the customer is: Segment and personalize.
• Find out what the customer values and wants: Research and
data.
• Deliver what the customer wants better than anyone else: High
value, compelling experience.
• Make sure the customer knows it was your brand that met their
needs and continues to meet their needs over long purchase
cycles: Build brand preference.
• Continue to innovate and lead the market: Take risks, lead,
market segmentation.
Segmentation is a way of “sorting” an audience/community to learn who

its members are; what they need, want or desire; and what they are
willing to pay the show owner to create and deliver to them.
Customers of products, and tradeshow audiences, are not
homogeneous groups. They can be segmented into sub-groups by
any number of criteria important to the marketer.
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There are many different ways to segment a market:

• Demographics: age, income, family size, education, gender, job
title, geography
• Psychographics: hobbies, interests, optimism/pessimism,
politics, etc.
• Purchasing patterns: amount, frequency, method of payment
• Web sites, blogs visited
• Certain vocabulary phrases
• Employers, both current and past
• Time spent on a web site
• Web site behavior
• Customer/non-customer status
• Buyer/non-buyer “personas”
• Media preferences/consumption patterns (e.g., print brochures vs.
e-mail)
• Etc., etc.
In segmenting a market for an individual brand, it is important to use

sorting criteria that are meaningful, measurable and relevant to that
brand and its target community.
In segmenting a brand community, it is also necessary to determine if
there are “personas” driving the brand that are a combination of
individual segmentation criteria.
For example, an important persona for a brand may be one that
combines demographic and psychographic criteria such as: male, 50 -
plus years of age, married, two children, engineering degree, 25 -plus
years in the industry, senior vice president, plays the guitar for a
hobby and is active on his Facebook page about fishing trips.
Tradeshow Segmentation Strategies

One uncomplicated way for tradeshow marketers to look at
segmentation is by attendee “brand loyalty,” as measured by
registration records.
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Using the archery target below as a graphic representation, the

target’s center ring comprises the most brand-loyal at the core of the
attendee universe. They attend the event every time it is held (e.g.
four out of every four events).
The next most loyal group attend three out of every four events. The
next loyalty ring attends two out of four, followed by one out of four.
The least loyal, of course, do not attend at all.
From a strategic marketing perspective, the path is clear. Increase

tradeshow attendee brand loyalty by moving each attendee segment to
the next higher level of attending on a show-by-show basis AND
convince non-attendees to begin attending. (i.e., This would mean
moving 3 out of 4 to 4 out of 4; 2 out of 4 to 3 out of 4; and 1 out of 4
to 2 out of 4 attendance levels.)
Increasing brand loyalty is just one of the areas where the steps in the
MDT marketing game plan come into focus.
The obvious way to achieve this increased brand loyalty outcome is to
begin by researching who the people or “personas” are in each loyalty
ring and why they are in that ring and not a higher loyalty ring.
That would be followed by researching the question...”What would it
take to move less loyal attendees from, “No, I won’t attend your event
more frequently,” to, “Yes, I will attend your event on a more frequent
basis?” (e.g., from 3 out of 4 events to 4 out of 4 events, etc.)
What else do they want that the brand can provide, or communicate
to them, to move them to be more loyal? What do they need on their
funnel journey to “yes” to move to the next higher level of brand
loyalty?
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Starting with Step 1 in the MDT marketing game plan (metrics/research),

the marketing game plan works its way toward a strategy, plan and
implementation program to move these groups up in their loyalty levels
to the brand.
After implementing its business building plans, the metric results within
Step 1 assist the brand team to assess their progress in the plan
implementation and success of the attendee loyalty development efforts
launched in Step 4 (Implementation) of the MDT Game Plan.
Personalization
Personalization is the ability of a marketer to deliver a product or
experience that the customer feels is “personalized” just for them (e.g.,
a towel retailer offering custom monogramming).
Large horizontal shows have had challenges in providing individually
customized experiences out of the overall large show experience. The
future, however, will provide technology capabilities that will enable the
MDT brand team to offer more tightly personalized and highly valued
individualized attendee experiences. 184,225
Individual customization of a mass-delivered product is the future. It has
been a marketing dream for the past 25 years that can now be
accomplished via electronic and digital capabilities.
Through research studies, behavioral web data tracking analytics,
questionnaires and personal-preference statements, the brand team will
be able to utilize its new marketing automation and digital technologies
to offer everyone a customizable pre-show and on-site
agenda...therefore, delivering a more personalized tradeshow
experience.
Building and Programming the MDT Content Calendar

The MDT game plan translates the research (Step 1) into creating the
brand’s overall brand strategy and component sub-strategies (Step 2),
then specific words, pictures and media plans (Step 3), and finally,
implementation activities (Step 4).
High-value content “programming” from start to finish, on a year-
round basis, is the underpinning foundation to effective brand
communications, target marketing and building a compelling
customer experience. Programming includes 24/7 content such as e -
mail, webinars, white papers, blogs, pre-show promotion, post-event
videos, twitter posts, etc.
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High-value 24/7 content programming provides the ammunition that

enables the marketing and content professionals to write copy and
produce video that answer the three key attendee questions:
• Why should I attend your tradeshow?
• What is so compelling that I have to be there?
• What happens to me and my career if I do not attend your
tradeshow?
Each tradeshow brand will have its own target audience segments and
its own segment content approaches based upon the brand’s research
studies.
24/7 content requires a content strategy, content plan and building
the actual content “program” to be posted on the brand’s blogs, web
site, etc. Words, pictures, videos and topics reflect the brand’s
positioning, persona and value delivery for its overall target audience
and major sub-segment audiences.
These content program elements are all organized and placed on the
MDT content calendar. The content calendar would be developed and
filled in to schedule appropriate 24/7 content programming daily for
targeted audience segments.
The development of the content calendar enables the content
manager and brand teams to know what to focus on, the specific
content it needs to produce, the timetable when it needs to be
completed, and then actually delivering it to the respective au diences.
The MDT content calendar would include the e-content development for
each day’s 24/7 content as well as content for the more traditional pre-
show advertising and promotion activities (e.g., brochures, e-mail, tele-
marketing, etc.).
The chart below provides an example of the type of analysis a brand
team can use to understand its audience and then be able to build
content programming for the daily content calendar and for the show.
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MDT Content Development Matrix Example
Whole Segment Segment Segment

Segment Profile Show
1 2 3
People:
Persona
Needs/wants/desires
What do they value
Why/why not attend
Key motivation phrases,
concepts
Attendance patterns
Brand contact: frequency &
methods (e.g. web site
visits)
Topic/media
preferences:
Education topics
Industry leader
profiles/stories/meet
Industry news
New product stories
Exhibitor profiles
Brochures/direct mail
E-Mail
Text messages
Web site
Phone/telemarketing
Webinars, podcasts, video
Other
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By filling in the boxes for each segment above, the brand team would be
able to gather appropriate information to better understand its
audience/universe. Using this information, the brand’s content team can
then build appropriate daily content programming as well as segmented
programming for each major audience segment.
The content calendar could be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet, by
day, that shows which content would go to which target group. Since
the tradeshow brand is marketed on a 24/7 basis, there will almost
always be some brand content going to some target audience each
day.
Specific content could include webinars, text messages, video blogs, case
studies, white papers, customer interviews, sales brochures or any other
form of communication indicated as preferable by each of the
segmented target audiences.
Having the content program on a content calendar enables the brand
team to plan far in advance to select the content, secure its
development and schedule its release.
Based upon the information gathered in the above matrix, the content
team would also have a sense of how often each segment wanted to be
contacted and how it wanted to be contacted based upon its contact
preferences (e.g., direct mail vs. e-mail). Market segment contact
frequency would be included in the schedule make-up of the content
calendar.
Content segmentation is an important sub-task for the content manager
and staff because this will help the brand team in a number of critical
marketing steps:
• Provide SEO engagement content,
• Provide appropriate content that helps speed potential customers
through the marketing funnel to “yes,'
• Enhance the MDT brand image,
• Build the show’s own “persona,' and
• Utilize segment research findings to customize segmented content
Metric assessments of content readership and responses will help the
brand team refine the messaging and targeting of the content
calendar as well as the whole content development strategy and
process.
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Brand Alignment
Brand alignment is a traditional branding concept that has now taken on
new importance.
Brand alignment requires that the brand marketer have every element of
its brand be consistent (i.e., aligned) across the entire organization and
every customer “brand face.”
All brand colors, logos, copy themes, graphics, etc., must be the same
across all elements.
Sales sheets, business cards, web site graphics, invoices, magazine
ads, brand copy line...everything...must all use the same graphic and
brand communication elements, no matter which division of the
company or outside provider produces them, or how they face the
customer.
MDT brand alignment is important across all segments of the tradeshow
marketing platform and content calendar to maintain the brand’s
“integrity” despite the ongoing changes in the industry the show serves;
and because the show itself will change year to year.
Written brand and graphic guidelines help all brand team members,
and outside consulting resources, stay on message in expressing the
same (aligned) brand platform to its total and segmented market
universes.
The content manager and content team will play an important
leadership role in seeing to it that implementing the overall content
strategy, content plan and the content itself are in alig nment with the
overall brand strategy, brand persona and customer brand-face.
Testing for Success

Testing different marketing alternatives has not been a practice
used within the historical tradeshow industry. Neither has testing some
new show feature at this year’s show for possible broadly based
implementation at next year’s show.
Testing various branding and marketing alternatives is now becoming a
regular part of the digital marketers’ professional practices. Testing
lowers the chances of major marketing errors, reduces off-target
marketing dollar spend and increases the level of marketing program
success.
One of the best-known, lowest-cost marketing tests is the A/B test (aka,
a split test).252
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This test is where two different marketing approaches, or different

variables to one approach, are sent to two small customer samples. A
metric is used to assess how well version A did compared to version B
(e.g., comparative responses to two different registration coupon offers
sent to two different audience samples).
Testing with small-dollar sample programs (like A/B testing) can help
MDT marketers assure that their large-dollar marketing programs are on
target and will be seen, heard and acted upon when they are rolled out
to large-scale target market communities.
Going forward, testing and test marketing practices will need to become
an integral part of the MDT marketing protocol.
Small-sample, low-cost testing will help the MDT be sure its large-scale
marketing programs positively impact the target market to move from
“no” to “yes,” and increase the efficiency of every dollar it spends
marketing a show.
Marketing Automation
As previously noted, the continuing increase in the MDT marketing work
load, competitive marketing speeds, testing and increasing
marketing/media complexity will make digital marketing automation
systems fundamental to MDT marketing over the next five years...and
mandatory within 10 years. 166,167,168
The MDT marketing game plan will be housed in a digital marketing
automation system that is scaled appropriately for its organization, the
show or shows it needs to support, and the skilled staff necessary to
manage the system.
Marketing automation will be an integral part of the digital ability of the
MDT to rapidly respond on a 24/7 basis to community brand input and
changing market conditions in the industry the show serves.
Long-Term Brand Leadership is A Special Skill

Being the preferred brand over long periods of time is difficult. It takes a
special set of management skills and corporate culture to maintain
market leadership over long periods of time.
Competition and market changes stress brands, brand teams and their
ability to stay on top of their game as the continuing market leader.
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Think about how the Sony Walkman product virtually disappeared

when the Apple iPod came along and knocked it out of the
marketplace. Sony could not respond to this new market challenge.
Sony, the brand, is still struggling in the consumer electronics market as
Apple, Samsung and LG have launched new advanced products backed
with aggressive marketing programs.
The tradeshow industry has seen many large and important shows
disappear from the industry landscape because their management could
not, or would not, effectively respond to change.
In 1996, Andrew S. Grove, then president of microchip producer Intel,
wrote a book titled Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis
Points That Challenge Every Company.
Grove wrote that leading brands (and companies) need to run
“paranoid,” build cultures that can stay ahead of change and respond
quickly and appropriately to market innovations and competitive
threats.
As a marketing machine, the MDT brand team must also follow
Grove’s philosophy as it moves into a more highly competitive, rapidly
changing and increasingly complex future.
Emerging Trend: Programmatic Media Buying and Message

Placement
As previously discussed, programmatic media buying is a media
buying system using high-speed computers, big data analysis and
artificial intelligence (AI) to place the right ads on viewer’s screens
(including smartphones), at the right time (in real time) for that
specific customer profile as that user visits specific web sites or
clicks on various items of merchandise. 216-222
The benefit of programmatic media buying is that high-speed
computers, driven by advanced software and artificial intelligence
capabilities, place relevant ads in front of appropriate customers at the
right time by “tracking” his or her buying interests noted for the
specific placement of an ad targeted at this topic area of interest.
Through behavioral and product purchase tracking technology and the
resulting programmatic media placement, the advertiser is assured its
online (or smart phone) ad placement will be in front of a highly relevant
potential customer...and not wasted on a non-customer.
Programmatic message placement is also a form of highly personalized
and targeted audience-brand relationship development.
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These message placements also get the appropriate metrics to track

customer purchases, assess their ad campaign success and measure
ROI.
Programmatic media buying is now basically a consumer-focused effort
by large advertisers.
It is still in its early infancy and there are start-up problems tracking,
verifying and proving the media bills to the advertiser. In time, these
legal and accounting issues of placement and verification will be solved.
The longer-term concern for the tradeshow industry to consider is that
programmatic media buying will move more forcefully into the b-to-b
world.
In the b-to-b world, programmatic buying will offer exhibitor -
marketers the ability to more tightly target their specific
audience and deliver highly personalized messages to an individual
based upon what that individual searched for or looked at online.
These computer ad placement and customer tracking systems also
provide highly accurate ROI analysis.
This analytical ability enables exhibitors to clearly evaluate the ROI
return on their media and e-alternative investments with their ROI
productivity on their tradeshow investments.
Programmatic Marketing is the future extension of exhibitor
programmatic media and message placement. Programmatic marketing
will help exhibitors focus on all channel marketing capabilities (i.e. omni-
channel), message targeting options, customer conversion and
marketing ROI.
Emerging Concept: Multi-Channel/Cross-Channel and Omni-

Channel Marketing
Multi-channel (cross-channel) marketing is the emerging concept of
marketing a brand across all customer channels and not staying just with
one or two separate vertical channels. 6, 231-235
Multi-channel marketing recognizes that customers use many different
media and distribution channels today to get information and make
purchases. For example, a customer’s traditional media channels (e.g.,
magazines and TV) have now been augmented with digital
communications channels (e.g., smartphones).
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Marketers now recognize they need to reach and sell customers on a

multi-channel and cross-channel basis (e.g., magazines, smartphone
mobile marketing and web sites). This is called omni-channel marketing.
Advocates of omni-channel marketing say the differences between
channels (media and distribution) should be removed, the channels
viewed as overlapping and the differences blurred.
Retailers are the frontline advocates of this omni-channel concept.
Omni-channel here means the customer does not have two relationships
with that retailer (one on the web and a second at a physical store). She
only has one (i.e., omni-) relationship that transcends how she relates to
the retailer no matter her channel of media (e.g., TV, magazines) or her
purchase channel (online or in person).
An omni-channel example would be a woman may see an ad for clothing
in a magazine, orders it one line, has it delivered to her house and
returns it to the merchant’s store. All of these steps and media are now
considered omni-channel as that customer has only one relationship with
that merchant despite all the different media used in that transaction.
Large retailers and companies like Amazon are using omni-channel
marketing techniques to drive immediate satisfaction of consumer needs
through this form of “Real-Time Marketing” across all media and
distribution channels.
Real-Time Marketing means such things as having ads for products you
just viewed appear on a web page or web site you are viewing...and
possibly a promotion is included in the ad...to get you to immediately
order that product.
Consumer retail and catalog marketing and customer service trends
taking place now, and that will more fully evolve and re-set real-time
customer service/experience expectations over the next five years to
“NOW-time” include:
• Smartphone e-commerce,
• Order online and pick up in store in 20 minutes,
• Order on-line, deliver it home in less than two hours
• Return e-commerce purchased merchandise to a store,
• Shop online at a web site with “chat now” (including video-chat)
available customer service,
• Deliver pop-up online coupons/specials available for additional
purchases to on-line web site customers
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• Detailed purchase history and “favorites” available in customer

records...to facilitate customer re-ordering, new purchases, and
• Free online purchase delivery within two days or faster...with a
club membership
These trends for immediacy and e-based commerce are setting the
larger expectations for how customers want to be treated and serviced
across all of their purchase interactions (i.e. omni-channel).
Millennials who are tech-savvy and live on their smartphones and tablets
are helping to drive this level of immediate customer satisfaction and
real-time marketing. NOW is the new level of customer expectations.
Millennials are also the growing population in the workforce that now,
and in the future, will continue to influence and re-shape the b-to-b
customer interface and projected b-to-b omni-channel customer
experience.
Future Trend: B-to-B “Consumerism” 21

B-to-b markete rs re cognize the y too must become multi -
cha nnel/omni -cha nne l markete rs a s well.
Because b-to-b customers are also b-to-c customers in their private
lives, their retail experience of “immediate satisfaction” is driving
changes in their b-to-b purchase expectations. B-to-b buyers are
beginning to look for b-to-c service levels in their commercial
transactions.
B-to-b omni-channel marketing is an area of beginning development
for many companies. Surveys by Forrester Research, McKinsey and
others indicate b-to-b companies view omni-channel marketing as a
major future trend in b-to-b marketing and customer relationships.
“Consumerism” is an emerging term being applied in the b-to-b world
relative to the b-to-c-like changes beginning to take place in how b-to-b
companies view their customers and focus on satisfying their newly
emerging customer purchase expectations.
Consumerism means companies are applying retail-type strategies and
customer-focused attitudes to their b-to-b purchase and customer
experience management policies, systems and processes.
Companies are now digitally mapping the b-to-b customer journey
experience and employing consumer style “voice of the customer”
research to more deeply understand what their customers want and
need from them....and how fast they want it.
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Because of this type of research, consumerism-aware b-to-b

companies are starting to make changes that include more focu s on
smoothing out the customer information acquisition and the
customer purchase journey and purchase processes.
These changes in company information availability will also increase
purchasing transparency for the customer. Company information
transparency and direct customer information access will help reduce
delivery times and increase immediate customer satisfaction.
Company information transparency will also help the company
develop more robust customer data collection systems to track and
manage their customer’s experiences.
These changes also mean that companies will be able to more
effectively sell to current and future customers, build data rich
customer profiles and purchase histories and more effectively control
the customer experience...without the need for a tradeshow.
Future Concept: Customer-Facing Eco-Systems

To deliver b-to-b consumerism, and to more completely dominate the
customer experience, companies are having to change their back-end
data systems and integrate them into their front-end CRM (Customer
Relationship Management) and sales systems.
The b-to-c concept of “self-ordering”, that has customers digitally
placing orders directly with merchants and no sales person involved, will
also move over to b-to-b marketing and customer relations.
This front-end and back-end conversion and integration journey will be a
five-to 10-year process across the b-to-b corporate landscape. Once
completed, b2b customer self-ordering, without a person involved, will
be one of its outcomes.
CRM systems are “customer-facing” systems, as they are focused on
the customer and are now readily available for a company to
implement and directly communicate/interact with the customer.
The back end of most b2b companies is a series of different systems that
operate a number of different functions within the company and are not
now available to the customer.
For example, individual back-end systems might include production
scheduling, inventory control, warehousing, shipping, credit, accounts
receivable, etc.
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The concept of “eco-systems” is to create a large integrated system of

the many different and separate internal company data and information
systems so they can then function together “as if” they were just one
system.
Through eco-system integration, all these sub-systems can be
connected to an organization’s “customer-facing” systems to then
meet rapidly changing customer information needs and purchase
requirements.
“Customer-facing eco-system” is the term being applied to the
integration of the front-end systems and the back-end systems so a b-
to-b customer can have the same kind of company
inventory/availability information and digital transaction abilities as a b-
to-c customer has with a retailer when they go on-line and self-order.
Customer-facing eco-systems are just starting to be discussed within the
largest companies. Software companies such as IBM and Oracle are
working on systems and software to make this concept a reality.
The benefit of these systems for companies is that, on a 24/7 basis,
their customers will have more product information more quickly, be
able to self-order online (like retail customers), find manufacturer
inventory levels and locations, schedule deliveries and speed up
purchase decisions. No human or tradeshow booth involved.
Manufacturers benefit from these systems because they get rich data on
what their customers are seeking and can have more intimate,
customer-specific and purchase-related conversations with their own
customers.
Manufacturers will also be able to assert more control over their
customer relationships via such things as credit policies, custom -
manufacturing options, delivery and logistic capabilities,
warehousing, and special promotion opportunities among others.
Five years from now, there will be more visibility of the
implementation of this concept.
The outcome of this emerging trend and the reason it is important to the
tradeshow industry is that these advanced systems will have the
capability to more closely bind a customer to that company and satisfy
more of that customers needs.
The goal of customer-facing eco-systems is also to build 24/7 customer
satisfaction, company loyalty and control of the customer
experience...without the need for a tradeshow or show organizer.
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Future Tradeshow Industry Impact of Consumerism and

Customer-Facing Eco-Systems
The four emerging trends in b-to-b marketing of programmatic media
placement, omni-channel marketing, consumerism and customer-facing
eco-systems portend a much more aggressive direct-to-customer b-to-b
marketing environment in the years ahead…without the need for a
tradeshow.
The billions of dollars that companies will invest in these systems also
means they expect higher levels of marketing and sales productivity and
ROI on these investments.
Today’s real-time marketing activities in consumer b2c markets will
morph into industrial b2b markets over time.
This morphing means faster response times from manufacturers to their
customers and to potential customers. It also means a more aggressive
direct-to-customer posture on the part of manufacturers (i.e., large
exhibitors).
The future evolution of b-to-b consumerism and large exhibitor increased
technology systems capabilities will have a definite, and possibly quite
negative, impact on a 1X/year tradeshow.
This (large exhibitor) customer (i.e., attendee) satisfaction outcome
raises two future questions:
1. Does that customer need to attend a tradeshow...or attend as
many tradeshows over a period to get what he needs? and
2. Does that exhibitor need to exhibit as much or at all vs. its
exhibiting investment today?
These future b-to-b customer-facing systems give the exhibitor much
more horsepower to find and sell current and potential customers
(attendees) than ever in the past. They also raise the stakes as viable
exhibitor alternatives to 1X/year tradeshow investments and trying to
assess the ROI on that tradeshow investment.
Tradeshow industry key questions: Ten years from now when these
customer-facing eco-systems are commonplace, b-to-b consumerism is
in full bloom and large exhibitors are actively competing to own and
manage the customer relationship...
What is the product tradeshow owners need to produce that is unique
and compelling in the marketplace? What will move an attendee to say
“YES” and actually attend a specific tradeshow?
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Tradeshow Industry Role as a Cross-Channel/Omni-Channel

Marketing Partner
The tradeshow industry is not now considered a cross-channel/omni-
channel marketing partner.
Tradeshows are generally not included in the marketing industry
description or definition of omni-channel. Tradeshows are
looked at as a stand-alone marketing activity...outside of but
not “core” to cross-channel/omni-channel marketing.
Implementing the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) concepts now will
enable the tradeshow industry to demonstrate its relevant fit as an
omni-channel marketing partner. The industry will also be able to
demonstrate its unique contributions to omni-channel marketing that
are not available in any other marketing medium.
The tradeshow industry’s greatest future marketing opportunity is to
firmly position itself as a major business channel in the b-to-b multi-
channel/omni-channel marketing space.
The tradeshow industry future development opportunity is to
implement an institutional marketing campaign pointing out how
the in-person face-to-face tradeshow marketing channel
demands an investment by b-to-b marketers equal to any other
channel they consider or use on an omni-channel basis.
Current Omni-Channel Tradeshows as Omni-Channel
If the tradeshow industry does not step up and proclaim its position as a
full participant in b-to-b omni-channel marketing, the marketing
community will continue its perception of the tradeshow industry as a
non-omni-channel outsider.
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The result of not stepping up now to position itself as integral to omni-

channel marketing the tradeshow industry will default its future to the
whims of the marketplace and competitive media.
By not stepping up now to position itself as integral to omni-channel
marketing the tradeshow industry will forfeit its ability to demonstrate
where the tradeshow industry fits in the future integrated omni-channel
marketing world. It also forfeits the opportunity to demonstrate how
tradeshows contribute to greater levels of success and why marketers
should continue to employ tradeshows as key elements in their overall
omni-channel marketing strategies.
The time for the tradeshow industry to promote itself as a key omni-
channel marketing partner is now.
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Chapter 15
Implementing the MDT Analog-to-Digital
Conversion
Before a company or an association can move from the status

quo to the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT), from analog to
digital, its leaders must answer three fundamental questions
(i.e., the Big Three Questions).
1. Where are we now?
2. Where do we want to go?
3. How do we get there?
Enterprise-wide digitization and digital conversion is a major

organizational trend taking place today. The continuing
expansion of this trend means that the enterprise of the future
will be fully systems-integrated and highly agile in its ability to
gather and use data, make decision and quickly act.
Enterprise-wide digital transformation is also a part of the MDT digital
transformation process because enterprise digital records/files, IT
systems and workflow processes are what will support the MDT-specific
digital transformation of today’s analog tradeshow model. 4,5,29,31,32
Digital transformation of the tradeshow enterprise, and the MDT, must
include an examination of the enterprise’s:
• Strategic vision for the organization and each of its shows
• Core values and culture
• Personnel configuration
• Service to its community
• Brand integrity
• Tradeshow production tools and processes
• Its willingness to embrace significant systems and organizational
changes to successfully meet the future
• Technical capabilities and level of technical sophistication
• Budget and future financial conversions capabilities
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Associations will be especially impacted in this enterprise-wide digital

transformation process.
This is so because, in addition to the MDT, the association’s digital
conversion can include membership, publications, fundraising, non-dues
revenue sources, delivery of member services, etc., as they are all tied to
association enterprise IT systems, databases and business processes.
For associations, digital conversion puts all of these individual functional
activities into a master integrated system (with sub-systems) where
information can easily be accessed and shared across the entire
organization and its various activities. However, each capability also adds
costs to building the integrated system.
Top Management Leadership

Digital transformation of the enterprise (and the MDT) is top-down-
driven. Top management must lead the organization with a vision for
where it’s going.
Top management must persuade all stakeholders, vendors and
consultants to support, create and implement the new
systems/tasks/processes and cultural changes necessary to get from
where it is now to where it is going.
It is top management that will resolve the issues and concerns that arise
as the digital conversion process unfolds within its organization.
It is also top management that will direct the budgeting process and
hold people accountable to assure that the conversion process is
completed and it functions as designed.
Cross-Functional Teams
Cross-functional teams will be necessary to complete this enterprise-wide
digital and MDT transformation. These teams assure the organization
(and the show or event) that no aspect of the transformation has been
left out of active review.
Cross-functional teams also assure that the process will not be “siloed”
into a small, closed work group that does not represent the entire
organization, its broadly-based issues and stakeholders or its total
resource capabilities.
Cross-functional teams may be made up of internal personnel alone, or
they may include a combination of vendors, suppliers and outside
consultants. Often an outsider can provide expertise for a digital
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transformation project that moves it forward with greater speed and

accuracy.
Answering the Three Big Questions

Each organization in the tradeshow, meetings and events industry is
different. Each will have its own starting point in the digital
transformation process and each will have different answers to the big
three questions: 1) Where are we now? 2) Where do we want to go?
3) How will we get there?
The answers to the big three questions will enable a show team and
organization to do the following:
• Ask what it knows and doesn’t know about each issue
• Learn what it doesn’t already know
• Engage in a thorough discussion and reflection about what it
wants to be and how it wants to get there
• Specifically identify its current strengths and weaknesses and then
decide how to leverage its strengths and overcome its weaknesses
• Create an understanding of the current organization (or event)
and a vision of where the organization is going over the next three
to five years (and possibly the next decade)
Answering the big three questions and building a road map to the future
should include examining and assessing the following (among others):
• Vendors and suppliers (their leadership, capabilities, adaptability,
current importance to the enterprise and ability to provide
enhanced future service delivery)
• Underpinning operating assumptions (e.g., “The board will never
buy that.”)
• Rules (e.g., “Booth height cannot exceed eight feet.”)
• Personnel policies (e.g. “We don’t pay for employee continuing
education.”)
• Existing strategic, tactical planning and decision-making
practices; and budgeting and capital budget approval processes
(e.g., are capital budgets capable of supporting future digital
developments?)
• Outside advisory groups, member committees, volunteers
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• Whatever other rules, practices, processes, groups,

regulations, financial considerations and informal behaviors
that shape the show’s or organization’s current practices.
Practices, for instance, that can negatively affect the speed
and ability of the organization to meet its digital
transformation challenges
• The organization’s capacity to deal with the elements of fear and
courage related to change
In answering the big three questions, top management must consider

these eight items and the many more that will be discovered as the
process unfolds.
For example, failing to assess current vendor abilities to grow service
delivery in the future to meet the evolving needs of a show or an
enterprise leaves the enterprise vulnerable to vendor failure or delay in
accomplishing its future digital implementation outcome.
Whether it’s a small tradeshow team or a large organization, the scope
of the issues considered in the digital transformation process must also
include all parallel and peripheral issues that could reasonably affect
the transformation process (e.g., banking relationships and interest
expense on borrowed money for capital project investments).
A full 360-degree analysis of direct and co-related transformation
process issues, people skills and organizational resources will help
reduce confusion and misdirection as the process is planned and
executed.
Thinking and Strategy Development Skills Are Important

The road ahead is VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous)
and will constantly change. Technologies and services not yet invented
will impact the competitive frontier for tradeshows and their owner
organizations.
It will take time and thought to conduct the necessary analysis,
develop appropriate strategies and then implement the MDT and
enterprise digital transformation plans. In real-world terms, it could take
three to five years, depending on the size and complexity of the
organization and the MDT event.
A thorough job of thinking, data gathering, strategy development,
implementation planning and detailed execution timetables need to be
done to produce a successful transformation project.
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Shoddy thinking or lack of attention to relevant details will waste both

time and money and result in a poor systems conversion outcome.
Questions Within the Three Big Questions

Each of the three big questions noted above leads to other series of
important sub-questions. These more detailed individual sub-
questions will reveal the day-to-day basic issues to be reviewed and
analyzed within each of the three questions.
This increased level of sub-question detail will allow the team and top
management to create the vision and strategy for the digital
transformation of the MDT and the enterprise.
The sub-questions under each of the big three questions are included in
the matrix section discussed later in this chapter.
Assessing the Three Big Questions

Any number of assessment tools, including the following techniques (and
this list is not exhaustive), can be used to answer the three big
questions: 1) Where are we now? 2) Where do we want to go? 3) How
are we going to get there?
• SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat) analysis
• A simple strength/weakness analysis (what we do well/not so
well)
• Market research: Google searches, business intelligence
studies, literature search studies, original research studies that
may be commissioned to an outside research company, etc.
• Internal resources: customized market research studies, financial
analysis, personnel skill assessments, etc.
• Industry-wide “benchmark” studies, professional association
studies and reports, etc.
• Vendors and consultants
• Expert blogs, web sites, seminars, etc.
The outcome of This type of analysis is to gather as much relevant, high-

quality information as possible to assist in answering questions, reducing
risk and making future decisions.
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The digital systems and organizational transformation outcomes

should be as intelligently formulated as possible, utilizing high-quality
information generated from the above types of assessment
techniques (among other available techniques). Technology experts
and vendors should be included on a regular basis in all relevant
evaluations.
For top management and the cross-functional team to keep the
transformation process moving forward and staying on track:
• Tell the truth as best as possible when looking at the issues
and outcomes. Truth and candor will assure that biases are not
built into a future system and that the best outcome is
achieved.
• Write everything down. Track where things are in answering these
questions over time. Re-visit questions when new insights call for
it.
• Routinely communicate with stakeholders and produce progress
reports on an established frequency.
• Don’t get hung up on explaining the history or circumstances of
why something happened or fighting old organizational battles.
Focus on the mission of planning a stronger and brighter future.
• Invest the appropriate money, time and human resources to this
effort and get it right the first time…even if it takes a year to do
this.
Top management focus, cross-functional team updates and ongoing

stakeholder communications are key to keeping the projects on track.
These activities will also help in building organizational support for
making the necessary digital, work processes, personnel, financial and
organizational transformation changes.
Digital Transformation Matrix

The matrix shown later in this chapter is not an attempt to turn this
chapter into a strategic planning chapter or to overburden the reader
with laundry lists of strategic development questions and work sheets.
The matrix is a basic starting point for each organization to investigate
its own answers to the three big questions: 1) Where are we now? 2)
Where do we want to go? 3) How will we get there?
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The matrix will need to change and evolve with/for each individual
organization as it works its way through developing the answers to each
box in the matrix and for each of the three questions.
The time line here has been focused at five years. It may be more
productive to use a three-year timeline for the initial analysis and
goal setting...and then move to a five-year view regarding an
actual implementation timetable.
Each tradeshow show and show management organizations will need to
set its own timeline for its own digital transformational outcomes.
This two-step transformation approach (of analysis and then
implementation) is able to account for short-term and longer-term
demands of capital budget planning, member services delivery, digital
systems workflow conversions, staffing and organizational structure
adjustments, etc.
This two-step approach may also turn out to be a more productive
and flexible transformational approach as digital technology and
marketing practices will change within the lifetime of building and
implementing an organization’s transformation process.
The Matrix Remains the Same for Each of the Three Big Questions.
In the matrix below, the matrix boxes stay the same for each of the
three big questions.
However, the answers in each box will change with each of the three big
questions.
As each of the three questions is answered through the matrix, it may
reveal the need for a given show or organization to adjust the matrix itself
and/or the next question in the three-question sequence to fit its own
unique needs.
The reader is encouraged to make every appropriate matrix change
necessary to increase its utility and productivity for his/her individual
show application and/or unique organizational needs.
Each box in the matrix is designed to open a series of investigations
related to the topic of that box: who, what, where, when, why, why not,
how much, what else and how to get there...among other questions.
In going through the matrix, fill in the answers to each box. Get as specific
as possible or practical in answering the subject of each box.
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Use the suggested planning tools above (e.g., SWOT analysis) and
whatever additional planning/financial tools necessary to get answers to
the questions and issues in each box.
Note, some boxes may not be relevant to each organization’s issues...or
may have to be modified to fit a specific organization or tradeshow.
Make the necessary changes to make this tool work for your organization
or situation.
Remember, in going through each of the three big questions the matrix
stays the same for each of the three big questions.
Going through the matrix one question at a time will take time, but do
not to skip a step or a matrix question in working through the process.
The answers for each question, and each box in each question, help
develop and sharpen the planning process for each subsequent question
and in developing the final tradeshow show, or organizations,
transformation plan.
The three big questions and their sequence through the matrix are:
1. Where are we now? What are we starting with/from today?
2. Where do we want to go? What are we going to be (3/5 years
from now)?
3. How are we going to get from here to there (3/5 years from
now)?
Matrix Box Answers Lead to Developing the Transformation Plan

The answers written in the matrix boxes will differ with each of the three
big questions. The answers may also change over time as the team gets
more details along the planning process.
• Question 1 answers should reflect the current state of the
tradeshow and the organization/enterprise. Answers here can be
quite specific and detailed.
• Question 2 answers will be more “aspirational” but should still
be as specific as possible. Some matrix boxes may be vague
due to the nature of future year projections; others may be
quite specific. Be as definitive as possible because this is
where the organization’s future is assessed and targeted to
the greatest extent possible.
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• Question 3 answers should yield specific plans, planning

steps, outcomes, people and budgets against an
implementation time line.
Answers to Question 3 will go a long way to help the transformation
team create and implement the basic enterprise digital transformation
plan necessary for producing the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT).
Also, for help in executing the enterprise-wide digital transformation.
Using the matrix that follows, work your way through the matrix and
the three key questions for your own show(s) and organization.
Planning Matrix for Analog to Digital Transformation
Market and Competition
Plans and Processes

Vision and Mission
Metrics of Success
Resources
Outcome
Strategy
Valued
The Enterprise
Stakeholders/customers/community
Organizational structure/governance
Tradeshow/event
Products and/or services
Social media
Media/PR/promotion
People/skills
Technology
Budgets/cashflow
Digital/IT systems status/capabilities
New businesses & Opportunities
What else?
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Overcoming the Challenge of Change: Starting

The biggest challenge to change is starting. We cannot let the
tradeshow industry’s historical approaches of “incrementalism” and
“marginalization” delude us into thinking everything will be OK if we
just stay the course.
Change and transformations are bumpy, uncomfortable and, at times,
emotionally fearful and “messy.” No one likes to be in these positions.
The increase in tradeshow industry revenue experienced today,
driven by an increase in overall economic activity, can lull the industry
into thinking everything is OK as is and that somehow continuing to do
what we have always done will lead to future success.
The assumption that, because business is up, everything is OK is a false
assumption. Change is all about us and our industry must move to the
future.
Now is the time for our industry and individual show owners to act and
start to accelerate this digital transformation journey.
Technology advances and changes in marketing practices are
accelerating. Our industry can no longer afford to be in a position of
always playing “catch up.” Our industry and the organizations in it must
get ahead of the curve in order to thrive in the ever changing future.
Yoda from Star Wars said it:
“Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”
Charles Darwin said it:

“It’s not the strongest of the species that survives.
Not the most intelligent that survives.
It’s the one that is most adaptable to change.”
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Chapter 16
“Hacking” the Tradeshow Industry Model
Gen Y is in a hurry. They have already proven they’re not going to stand
in line to process things the old-fashioned way. Instead, they’re going to
“hack” through all of the unnecessary “stuff” quickly with software and
new business models. Wherever possible, they’re going to hack a
shortcut to an outcome.
Over the next 10 years, the tradeshow industry, its form and format, will
be hacked and disrupted by millennials, or GenZ immediately behind
them, and technology.
In anticipation, the tradeshow industry can innovate, disrupt and “hack”
itself...but will it?
Or, will it stick with the historical industry model and let itself be disrupted
by innovators and technology from outside of the industry?
Other historical institutions and past accepted practices are being hacked
and disrupted at an ever-increasing rate by technology-empowered
younger generations.
Time, distance, language and institutional structure are no longer
barriers to these younger generations, their technology or their
willingness to “hack” a new path.
Here are some examples of historical institutions which already have
been hacked, disrupted and their historical structures permanently
altered through software driven business models:
• Car rental companies – www.Zipcars.com hacks on all-day
car rentals via an hourly car rental solution (paying only for the
time you use the car).
• Hotels – www.airbnb.com hacks on traditional hotels by having
ordinary people rent out the spare bedrooms of their homes or
apartments (helping them pay their mortgages or monthly rent).
• Taxis – www.uber.com hacks on cab and car service industry
forms and costs via WiFi connections to private car owners who
agree to pick up passengers more quickly and provide rides at
lower prices than traditional services (using their private cars to
earn money and pay off car or student loans).
A side disruption of this hack is that banks and credit unions
in New York City are experiencing increased loan defaults
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from drivers who borrowed money to buy yellow cab taxi

medallions and who now can’t make payments due to lower
rider levels (and less income) because Uber drivers are taking
away customers.
Airbnb and uber are in-reality digital software reservations systems that
create a buyer-seller marketplace to rent out lodging and transportation
assets. By bringing buyer and seller together each company functions as
a basic digital tradeshow; and software facilitated marketplaces.
Arirbnb’s Wall Street private valuation is in excess of $ 25 Billion and
Uber is being valued at between $ 60-70 Billion.
Despite the Wall Street hype on these two companies, the point is
these software “hacks” have fundamentally disrupted these traditional
industries and are now serious competitors driving significant revenue.
Here are three more well-established institutions being hacked in
unexpected ways:
• The financial services industry is being hacked by
Wealthfront, a software-driven, computer-automated
investment company that allows people to electronically
transfer money to their digital accounts and it then invests the
money via computer programs, not human asset managers.
• Universities have hacked higher education to now deliver
degrees via online learning programs. These hacks are
customer-focused and technology driven to fit the schedules
of the students. A key point to understand here is that
typically students and teachers never meet in-person face-to-
face.
• Marijuana is being approved in one state after the other by
voters, not the Federal Drug Administration. This is a hack on
the medical substance approval process. That leads to two
questions: Within the next 3-5 years will the tradeshow
industry throw networking receptions infused with marijuana
smoke? Will event catering questionnaires ask for information
on what type and form of marijuana to offer at an
event...especially for events focused on attendees under the
age of 40?
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Golf Industry Hack

Golf is being hacked as a game and an institution. The golf industry
has stopped growing and is essentially flat. Golf equipment sales
and course playing hours have declined. The industry has not been
adding new players and playing hours to replace the players who
are ageing out of the game.
Millennials who would be the next replacement generation to take
up the game of golf are not taking up the game as their parents
once did. Traditional golf takes a lot of time to practice and to play
a round of golf. This is time millennials are not willing to devote to
the game.
Golfhack.com is seeking new approaches to increase golf
participation. For example, San Diego now has four golf courses
implementing 15-inch “cups” instead of golf holes that have been
the same small standard size for decades. With this “hack,” more
people with limited time – and perhaps limited talent – can play the
game faster and with less practice to develop their skills.
Other golf courses have increased the cup size to 21 inches so players
can play “soccer golf” or “Frisbee golf”. There is also a version of golf
called “speed golf” which is played at an accelerated pace and with
fewer clubs.
The point here is that the market has told this industry it does not like
the traditional “product” and will not participate because it wants
something else that is more consistent with its needs, wants and
desires.
Despite golf being a once highly popular sport, with a long history of
tradition…segments of the sport have been driven to have to change
due to changing customer demands and to meet the needs of its newly
emerging customers.
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Source: Big Golf, Golf Hack
Tradeshow Industry Hacks

The golf industry lesson for the tradeshow industry is that no matter what
the tradition, an industry must change to meet the evolving needs of its
customers.
Hacks are generated by issues related to time, cost and
convenience…as evidenced in the golf industry example above.
Hacks generally target activities that simply are no fun and/or
institutional structures with too many steps to an outcome. Software and
technology today can deliver a “quickly done for you” outcome. People
today are in a hurry and time is an important commodity.
Within the next 10 years, the tradeshow industry will be hacked. The
hack will be generated by the question “Why?”:
• Why does it cost so much to exhibit?
• Why do I have to spend this much time out of the office?
• Why do I have to be away from my family?
• Why do I get a better ROI online?
• Why are there so many forms to fill out and so much running
around to do?
• Why can’t I control my booth costs in the exhibit hall?
• Why is freight so expensive?
• Why is on-site help so rude and expensive?
• Why isn’t this more fun?
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Tradeshow industry hacks may come from someone or some approach

outside the events industry: new eyes, new thoughts and new
approaches.
Industry hacks will be driven by software and systems that solve the
tedium of standing around a booth in an empty exhibit hall,
unpredictable logistics costs, unpleasant labor, countless rules and
processes, lack of fun and decreasing ROI.
These new software and system hacks will more quickly get to the
outcome many of us have traditionally expected from the tradeshow
experience...in-person face-to-face communication.
Over the next 10 years the tradeshow industry will also need to
distinguish its product offerings as “face-to-face” as well as “in-person.”
There are threats and opportunities in the development of products and
services in each of these two different communication modes.
Face-to-face events can be held with technology that would deliver a high-
quality “virtual reality,” face-to-face and product demonstration experience
via electronic media…no travel to an in-person tradeshow.
These face-to-face experiences could be hosted over the Internet in the
massively parallel game format so that many people can participate at
one time. Separate on-line chat rooms would allow people with similar
interests to hold their own separate face-to-face and product
demonstration meetings over the Internet.
“In-person” events would take place with people physically present in the
same location at the same time.
The Tradeshow Industry Self-Hack

Moving to the future, the tradeshow industry must hack itself before
anyone else does. Tradeshows as a business and as an “institution” must
evolve to meet the market and we must do it ourselves.
Today we monetize what we do through selling square feet of space to
exhibitors in an exhibit hall. But the real value we deliver to both
exhibitors and attendees, however, is having the right people meet each
other...in-person and face-to-face.
We are not in the space and freight business, but the dance and date
business. We get people to the dance so they can find a date!
Hacking our future means re-thinking and re-inventing:
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• Our product forms

• Our product formats, and
• How we get paid to deliver dates and dances
To engage our thinking when looking to the future of the industry, we

can ask these three questions:
• How can our industry throw a dance, with a lower
admission price, and help people get dates, learn things,
have fun, make money and not have to schlep all that
heavy stuff around?
• What form could our industry take to deliver an
outstanding, compelling “product” and make money... if it
were not a space-and-freight-based income model?
• How can time-efficiency and time-utility be incorporated
as an important asset in the customer experience of a
tradeshow brand?
Utilizing the answers to these three questions, and may others, elements
of the industry can experiment with new forms, formats, and media to
self-hack their shows and, in turn, self-hack the entire industry.
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CHAPTER 17
The MODERN DIGITAL TRADESHOW
© 2017 Francis J. Friedman
The tradeshow industry is still a very important component of the

multi-channel integrated marketing mix, even though it has been
moved off center stage in the larger b-to-b marketing world.
Over the next decade, our industry will be re-focused by the marketing
community to make our contribution later in the sales cycle, after all the
“information” about a product has been Internet-researched and digitally
captured.
It’s at this later point in the sale cycle that tradeshows can contribute
tremendous value in helping build buyer-seller relationships and trust as
they meet face to face and/or in person on a tradeshow floor or in an
on-line, branded “tradeshow”, interactive chat room.
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The Opportunity Ahead

As humans, we want interaction with other humans. We cannot live by
digital screens alone.
The perfect example of not living on digital screens is all the tradeshows,
conferences and events FOR the digital developer communities where
they meet face-to-face to network and conduct business about digital
products rather than try to do it online.
The opportunity ahead for our industry is to be positioned and accepted
as THE in-person meeting and networking option in the omni-channel
digital world. And, that tradeshows, meetings and events are the b2b
and human-to-human interface in a world dominated by digital screens
and gadgets
The future challenge for our industry as the technology grows more
robust is...can we (or rather, will we) build products and experiences
that are compelling, engaging, value-rich and cost-effective for
attendees so they will decide to leave home and participate on-site and
in-person?
To the extent we can build and deliver high-value, high-quality and high-
attendee demand experiences, that is the degree to which we will keep
show floors filled with attendees and exhibitors.
As noted previously in this book: no attendees = no exhibitors = no
shows.
The Modern Digital Tradeshow

The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) is the fully digitized and integrated
management, product development and marketing system capable of
delivering a high value, high demand, attendee experience.
The MDT has the structural bandwidth and technology underpinnings to
enable the industry and individual show owners to build branded products
and services that successfully compete in-person and face-to-face in the
evolving digital systems and digital media future.
The digital future that is seeking to control the customer experience with
digital-direct marketing and customer control instead of in-person on a
tradeshow floor.
Adopting the MDT management system now will facilitate the tradeshow
industry in making the transition to a digitally centered (i.e. digitized)
marketing industry focused on delivering a consistent and compelling
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customer experience….no matter what the specific branded product

configuration.
The Modern Digital Tradeshow has two key focus objectives:
1. Be significant as a core element in its market’s omni-channel
universe
2. Be efficient for its owner in its use of resources including:
thinking, strategy, plan implementation, capital and
technology
The modern digital tradeshow also has four key structural elements to
make it compelling:
1. Integration
2. Focus
3. Value
4. Branding
The MDT is built on a high level of integration and focus of the eight
core disciplines that comprise and drive MDT performance to be
compelling in the marketplace. (see the MDT octagon)
The MDT management system facilitates MDT product development and
product success. The MDT management system also generates high
quality feedback data into the management system to further support its
in-market direction and continuing success.
Modern Digital Tradeshow integration means there is no separation in
agenda or outcome between the product, its performance, meeting
customer needs and the management system.
The integration between product and management system also means a
more tightly focused, faster-moving and more creative Modern Digital
Tradeshow product and a more agile tradeshow organization.
Integration of the thinking, procedures and all the other piece parts
that go into creating and marketing a Modern Digital Tradeshow
product also make that tradeshow “core” and compelling to its
industry sector.
Included within the MDT digitally integrated structure is less internal
management systems “friction” and higher levels of efficiency of the
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human resources and capital devoted to creating and managing the

digital MDT vs. the current analog “organizer” system.
This digital integration also means the Modern Digital Tradeshow
“product” can be constantly focused and quickly upgraded in terms of its
configuration and marketing efforts as the market, customer universe or
competitive threats change.
As the tradeshow industry moves fully into the digital marketing arena,
“focus”, “integration” and “agility” are three key concepts that will guide
the success of our industry and individual show owners.
Digitization and the MDT format will enable the industry to focus on
who our industry is and the value we deliver as a key component in the
overall omni-channel b-to-b marketing eco-system.
The eight integrated functional elements of the Modern Digital

Tradeshow are each discussed in the sections that follow.
The MDT: Is a PRODUCT

Thinking about the Modern Digital Tradeshow as a “product” simplifies
creating and marketing an individual show or event.
With a show viewed as a “product,” it’s easier to conceive of what it is
and, equally as important, what it isn’t. Product conceptualization
helps the management team be more specific and less confused about
how to position and market a show.
Historically, marketing a show as an “experience” tends to be
amorphous, hard to conceive of and difficult to articulate. An
“experience” for whom, from what point of view and with what
outcome in mind?
Thinking about a tradeshow as a (branded) product enables the show
team to more clearly understand its boundaries, size, attributes,
personality and competitive position in its market space and then market
the show accordingly.
As an example, a tradeshow management company might, after
some research and assessment, determine a new event opportunity
exists in the Northeastern United States. The “product description”
might include some or these attributes:
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• A heavyweight product (i.e., delivers more value for this high-

opportunity region)
• More conference tracks than any other competitive event
• Higher-quality speakers than any other competitive event
• Fully digital, multi-media, unique in its configuration and
conference processes
• Intensive in-person and digital networking opportunities
• Well-catered and food/refreshment-intensive
• Friendly, engaging, inclusive in attitude and customer service
• High-value knowledge takeaways and post-event follow-up
• Expensive and focused on senior managers only
• Highly selective sponsors and exhibitors
With this “product” description in hand, an event team can flesh out the
details of what should be in the product, what should be left out, and the
specific details of its high-value positioning.
Viewing tradeshows or events as a “product” enables the MDT team to
more clearly see what it needs to create. This product view then enables
the team to adjust or build appropriate attributes into the “product” and
market it more competitively.
A product conception also makes it easier to write promotional “copy” for
brochures and to create advertising campaigns. Language and graphics
can easily convey the “product” attributes because the attributes have
been clearly spelled out in the product description.
BRANDED
People buy brands. They trust brands.
The tradeshow industry has historically relied on “the show” to sell itself
with only its name and pre-show brochure copy. It has not focused on
building the show as a brand...with all the elements that can enhance
the long-term value and worth of a branded product.
As an example of how to successfully build a brand, compare: Starbucks
and Dunkin’ Donuts; Saks Fifth Avenue and Marshalls; Target and Dollar
General Stores.
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Each member of these pairs provides merchandise and a shopping

experience in a similar product “category.” However, each of these
brands has segmented itself into a unique brand positioning in the retail
market it competes in.
Each brand has also bounded and differentiated its product offerings
enough to sell itself on its own Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and
customer brand experience.
Through constant brand promotion and customer interaction on a 24/7
basis, each store has built its own brand awareness and brand
personality or “persona” in the mind of its customer universe.
Each of these brands also has a management structure focused on its
customers’ “shopping experience.”
Because of the intense competition in the retail marketing space,
these brands track metrics such as share-of-mind, top-of-mind
awareness and brand-preference assessments to be sure they stay
close to fulfilling their customer brand promises...on a 24/7 basis.
A major retailer (e.g. Macys) is the equivalent of an omni-channel
Modern Digital Tradeshow. It has created a unique product offering that
is branded, clearly positioned in its market space, highly competitive,
24/7, data-centric, and customer and customer service, focused.
DIGITALLY CENTERED
The analog, linear-sequential, piece-part systems and “organizer”
management structure that have historically served this industry must
be transitioned to integrated digital systems that operate on a 24/7
basis.
The path to digitally centering the industry and each individual show and
event producer will take focus, time, patience, money, people and
outside assistance.
Digitizing files and records, establishing digital protocols, building the
digital architecture and implementing the necessary digital hardware
systems will take time and resources.
The transition to “digitally centering” the industry, or an individual
show, will be emotionally disruptive, at times confusing and may lead
to questions of whether it is cost-effective or worth it to make these
investments and changes.
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Since the industry’s future rests on digital competence, individual

show owners must not back down from moving in this direction of digital
transformation.
The path to digitally centering an individual show or event will take a
major shift in strategic and tactical thinking. It will require understanding
new concepts like “time-to-market,” 24/7, always-on activity, collecting
and using data, dynamic systems and the integration of new human
talents and skills.
The larger marketing and business community is already in this
learning curve and experiencing these growing pains. Many companies
already have positions with job titles such as Digital Transformation
Officer in their upper management ranks.
The future of the tradeshow industry is digital. The core of the Modern
Digital Tradeshow product, marketing and organizational structure is
digital. We, as an industry, need to go digital.
The conversion to digital will speed up the ability of the industry to
manage a dynamic and faster moving business. Digital will enable the
industry to interact and share file with customers, vendors and suppliers.
This ability will raise the quality, proficiency and agility levels of the
industry and individual show owners.
The industry and individual show conversion to digital will also bring the
industry current with the lifestyle and business technology usage of our
exhibitor and attendee customers. Being contemporary with our
customers means we can also be more relevant to what they need, want
and are willing to pay for us to deliver for them.
ATTENDEE FOCUSED
Exhibitors pay tradeshow managers to deliver attendees. It’s that simple.
All eight features of the Modern Digital Tradeshow are integrated to
deliver attendees. The logic of this integration and attendee focus is
straightforward: No attendees, no show.
The competition for attendee time and attention is growing more
complex and contested every day. It will become even more contested
and complex as the future unfolds.
Major exhibitors are investing in advanced technology to directly engage
customers with e-products and “consumerism”-type services to control
the customer experience and brand relationship. No tradeshow and no
organizer needed here.
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Attendees themselves are changing and becoming more technologically

engaged more of the time and in larger segments of their lives.
Attendees, with the advancing technology tools coming on-stream, will
be even more empowered to decide for themselves...”do I stay home
and get what I want electronically or do I travel to attend a tradeshow.”
The MDT core focus is to successfully compete for attendee time,
attention and “brand preference” by creating a unique (branded) product
offering not generally available anywhere else.
The MDT branded product is then delivered in a compelling, high-value
on-site experience...that people will want to travel to consume.
While the industry spends a lot of time with exhibitors and most industry
income comes from exhibitors, our purpose as a business is to find and
deliver appropriately qualified attendees to exhibitors.
The future focus and skill set development of the industry must be on
community development and attendee delivery for a given show.
Historically the industry has not focused on community development and
it is a key future aspect of building a branded tradeshow market success.
CONTENT DRIVEN
Rich, valuable, engaging content is the weapon marketers will use to win
the 24/7 fight for customer (attendee) time and attention. Content is the
weapon of both inbound and outbound marketing.
Content is also central to the Modern Digital Tradeshow as a marketing,
product development and customer delivery tool. It is the glue that will
hold a 24/7 show together.
24/7 content production and distribution, and the staff and work
processes to accomplish this, are new skills and processes for the MDT.
The on-floor tradeshow itself becomes a major component of the MDT
overall 24/7 brand content platform.
A content platform strategy, content development resources, content
marketing plan and content delivery systems are all necessary MDT
development components to engage and sell a tradeshow to its
community and to move potential attendees to YES.
Content is the vehicle that changes a tradeshow from its historical linear,
sequential, 1X/year format into a 24/7 digital show that successfully
competes and delivers qualified attendees in the modern marketing
world.
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We cannot forget that attendees coming to a tradeshow are paying

money to hear sales presentations (from exhibitors). In no other industry
do customers pay to hear sales presentations. Therefore, the customer
(i.e. attendee) is empowered and wants an ROI on this investment and
this experience.
Data collection and metric assessments of content effectiveness and
content direction will become increasingly more important over time.
Data results and analyses will help guide both content configuration,
target audience focus and the MDT total marketing and content calendar
schedules.
Data collection and market research will also help assure that attendees
received high level value for their tradeshow investment and will stay
brand-loyal to that event by participating in its next iteration and larger
brand community.
VALUE RICH
The Modern Digital Tradeshow must offer superior value to its
community because its competitors are also offering a barrage of
content, experience and value to the same community members.
To move the attendee position from “No, I won’t engage with you,” to
“Yes, I will engage with you,” the MDT must deliver value that
convincingly answers the target audience’s three key questions:
• Why should I attend your tradeshow? (i.e., What will I get?)
• What is so important or valuable about your show that I Have To
be there?
• What happens to me or my career if I do not attend your
tradeshow?
MDT brand teams should know what its audience values, and how it
values it, in order to present a show where the target audience can
appreciate and buy the value that is built into the show.
Research and data tracking are key tools the brand team will use to
determine and asses what the various segments of their shows
community values highly. Because attendee demographics will continue
to change and evolve over the next decade, the brand team will need to
repeat this value assessment research on a continuing basis to keep up
with target audience changes.
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For example, research may reveal that the target audience values
“networking.” The immediate question is how does it value
networking? Does it value it in one large networking event, several
small networking events spread over time, networking with food,
networking after show hours, networking in an offsite after hour’s
location, etc.
Knowing what the target audience highly values, and knowing what form
or how it values it, will enable the MDT show team to build event value
in a way that is compelling to the target audience.
In building high-value target-audience shows, knowing target
audience values also makes it easier for the brand team to
advertise/promote those shows because the target audience
understands the value in what the show offers to them...and they
already want it.
INTENSIVELY MARKETED
In addition to being an attendee-focused product, the MDT must also be
intensively marketed to achieve community top-of-mind awareness,
saturated value perception and brand preference.
Intensive marketing is also key to moving potential customers from “No”
to “Yes.”
Marketing intensity means:
• Every form and format of content development and delivery
attendees consume
• Building the high and rich values the show’s community
embraces
• 24/7 e-content and all media channels
• Quality writing, graphics and design, and
• Variety in message formats and media (e.g., podcasts, webinars,
print brochures, etc.)
Marketing intensity does not necessarily mean a large marketing

budget. It does mean customer focus and effective strategies and
tactics within the limits of the available budget.
Audience targeting, rich MDT value and highly impactful copy writing and
graphic executions can create great results with a small budget if it is
well focused on meeting the needs of its target audience.
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Research, metrics and data guide the focus of value creation and
marketing intensity.
It’s important to ask…Is the marketing message focused tightly and
intensively enough on the target audience? Will this message move a
potential customer to “Yes” and, if not, what adjustments are necessary?
Over time, the intensity of tradeshow brand marketing will become a
360-degree effort on a 24/7 basis. This level of intensity will be
necessary to assure an individual MDT its market position and high
level of brand preference in the mind of its target community.
Competitive sources of content, and major exhibitors seeking to control
the customer (attendee) relationship, will compete with the MDT for the
attention, heart and mind of its target community.
MDT marketing intensity, coupled with its brand strategy, will be
able to deliver both a defensive posture and the offensive
momentum appropriate to its marketing context. This
capability/flexibility will enable the MDT brand to s ucceed in
building its importance and brand share in the life of its target
audience community...no matter what the economy.
REVENUE ENHANCED
The Modern Digital Tradeshow as a branded product offers increased
revenue enhancement opportunities:
• Quality programming justifies higher prices and increased profits
• The brand name/equity can be extended to other non-tradeshow
products.
• 24/7 content expands revenue from ad sales and sponsorship
opportunities.
• Operating as an “open model” of content input provides additional
opportunities for revenue enhancement through new products and
resources from joint venture partners.
• Portfolio brand extensions generate new revenue streams and
increased JV opportunities
As a value-rich product, the MDT can command a premium for what it

offers. High-value and high-utility experiences will command increased
community support and revenue streams.
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As people continue to be bombarded with sheer volumes of content from

many different providers, time becomes an even more precious
commodity.
People will covet their time and select only that content and those
experiences that are targeted to meet their specific needs and for which
they are willing to pay a premium price to have.
By branding the MDT, the door is opened to extended revenue source
developments via a portfolio of branded product extensions and new
product development.
Potential MDT portfolio brand extensions not only generate additional
revenue streams, they also enable the brand to engage its community in
several different ways to meet their unique and different needs.
The MDT Development Progress Tracking Graph

It will take time, thoughtfulness and discipline to evolve a traditional
tradeshow into a Modern Digital Tradeshow. Every single element of a
MDT may not be developed by a tradeshow team at the same rate of
speed and at the same level of performance.
The digital conversion tracking tool shown below enables an
individual show team to self-assess, record and track its progress
across all eight elements of the Modern Digital Tradeshow.
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest measure of
implementation or competence, a show team can score itself on its
path to full MDT implementation.
As shown in the example below, each scale number would then be
connected by a line to every other number so that a spider web
“graph-like” picture emerges for the digital conversion of a specific
show.
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As demonstrated above, a key benefit of this tracking tool is that it

helps the show team quickly see where a specific tradeshow has
existing strengths and weaknesses in its current concept and
execution.
EXHIBIT 2 is a blank chart of the above. Tradeshow brand teams can
update their MDT progress over time using this tool. Progress tracking
will also demonstrate where a show is making progress and where it
needs to devote more resources and attention.
Tradeshow Industry MDT Transformation

Over the next few years, we who are in the tradeshow and events
business have a remarkable opportunity. For the first time in generations
we can lay the groundwork for what our industry could look like for
decades to come.
With this blueprint for the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT), we can now
begin fully transforming the tradeshow and events industry to meet the
technology and marketing challenges ahead...one event brand at a time.
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Going forward, as we digitize our industry and implement MDT

tradeshow branding, we can also build and enhance our position as a
core component of any new or emerging marketing schema.
We can do this because we will have built research, agility, flexibility,
technology and marketing disciplines into the fundamental structures of
our industry through the Modern Digital Tradeshow transformation
process.
Digital and business process transformation is an urgent priority for the
tradeshow industry if it is to keep up with its customers and their already
launched transformation.
The advances in technology ahead will continue the competitive
evolution of customer-direct selling we are seeing now and that do not
involve face-to-face interaction on a tradeshow floor.
In the retail industry, major retailers such as Macy’s, Target, Gap Stores
and Ralph Lauren are closing retail stores because of a lack of traffic due
to Internet on-line ordering. Amazon continues to build warehouses and
ship direct to customers.
More important is that customers are now used to self-ordering on the
Internet. Future generations are growing up with this self-ordering on a
screen purchase mentality. Shopping is out. Talking to a sales person is
out. Walking a retail sales floor is out. Order on-line is in.
This consumer ingrained behavior will transfer to b-to-b transactions and
purchase behavior as well. Order on-line…no people involved.
Converting our industry to a Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) and
marketing a comprehensively digital product array will parallel the
emerging customer buying experience. It will place the industry, and our
form of product knowledge/acquisition and vendor sourcing, at the
forefront of the emerging b-to-b product acquisition trends.
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Chapter 18
The Disney MDT Case Example:
A Customer-Focused, Integrated, Data-Rich
Marketing Machine
The Walt Disney Company is an outstanding example of an

organization that takes a creative product and turns it into a
branded marketing machine that stretches across an entire
range of business development opportunities and profit centers.
Walt Disney took Snow White and Mickey Mouse, animated cartoon
film characters, and converted moviegoers’ “relationships” with
them into products, services and live experiences across every
available medium.
The Disney Company can trace its roots to 1923 when Walt Disney
produced a short-animated film called “Alice’s Wonderland.” Today, this
international company (DIS—NYSE) has an annual income of $50.7
billion and operating income of $13.7 billion.
Disney took its film characters, and their “stories,” and turned them into
interactive Disney-branded experiences. It took the fantasy of its films
and converted them into in-person experiences the average family is
willing to pay for.
The Disney brand experience – beginning with “Alice’s Wonderland” –
has spread across every conceivable engagement format.
For example, theme parks, themed ships, hotels, Broadway shows, toys,
books and interactive e-media only touch the surface in describing a
complete list of Disney-branded product extensions.
Think of it this way: A story told by an animated princess engaged an
audience. That story’s creator thought people might want to experience
the princess story in their own way. So he built a princess theme park
and included other animated characters.
That Disney experience generates over $50 billion in annual sales today.
Walt Disney found that...” if you wish upon a star” ... and work hard to
extend your brand as far as you can conceive of it, you can convert a
creative concept into tangible experiences that give your public a high -
value product they are willing to pay billions of dollars to consume.
This high-quality Disney experience delivery, and related business
success, is the personification of the MDT outcome for our industry.
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EXHIBIT 2 provides an overview of the Walt Disney Company business

areas. It also provides a listing of activities within its Orlando theme
park. Notice the sub-activities such as water parks that are built into the
overall park experience that are also incremental on-site experiences and
profit centers in their own right.
Tracking the Disney Customer Experience

Disney’s in-person theme parks offer an excellent example of what is
possible with a branded, intensively marketed, fully integrated, data-
driven customer experience management system. This system’s
capabilities offer a model of what the tradeshow industry can potentially
look to create for itself in the future.
Disney‘s database and systems capability deliver enough information on
customers and their behavior to provide a contemporary model of visitor
experience management.
At its Orlando theme parks, Disney has implemented a $1-billion
integrated system that registers, engages, tracks and analyzes its guests
and their behavior patterns.
The company has integrated its front-end web site metrics and back-end
theme park Big Data analysis to dig deep into what motivates its
customers to buy and how satisfied they are with their purchases.
The Disney MyMagic+ and FastPass+ are two versions of the same
integrated computer system, but with different service levels. The
MyMagic+ version offers the more comprehensive delivery of the
underlying system because it includes the hotel stay, which FastPass+
doesn’t.
The Disney MyMagic+ system is a complete cybernetic loop of customer
behavior. It starts with an enrollment form (“My Disney Experience”)
where a guest can manage his or her entire Disney experience...and
Disney gets complete customer information.
After filling out the My Disney Experience enrollment form, each guest –
i.e., every member of the family- gets a unique customer ID number that
enables Disney to track all his or her activities via a smart bracelet.
With appropriate advance registration, each registrant is mailed a Magic
Wand bracelet with their name on it before they visit the park. This
bracelet is an RFID-equipped watch-like device with a green screen
where a watch face would ordinarily be.
This bracelet is tied to credit card information. It can be read by on-site
scanners and allow access to services throughout the Disney property.
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Everything from opening a guest’s hotel room door to scheduling a Princess

visit or paying for dinner at a restaurant.
A master database system processes all transactions in real time based
on the information in the original My Disney Experience registration form
and the existing credit card status.
Purchases for merchandise, pictures, extra meals, etc., all flow through
the same bracelet-enabled system...and Disney collects this real-time
information for further data analysis.
Disney Data and Marketing System Yields

This data collection system provides Disney with total perfect information
on each individual customer- their behavior, purchases, how their time
was spent, preferences, etc.– and puts the data into an integrated digital
database.
With its data system technology, Disney can conduct detailed analysis of
customer behavior to create and test new business-building marketing
campaigns and improve or develop new onsite experiences. It also
enables Disney to re-market highly targeted Disney offers to these
same Disney customers during and after their park visit.
The database even considers the time line of when each visitor engages
in what activity.
Time line tracking can note, for instance, whether little Jenny bought a
Princess T-shirt before or after meeting the Princess. With this type of
information, Disney can make specific promotional offers in the
appropriate time sequence of a guest’s park visit.
With the Big Data tools it has at its disposal, Disney can analyze the
behavior of each family and any universe of families it wants (e.g., park
visits by families with girls under the age of 10 from Boston in February
when it happens to be snowing).
The richness and granularity of this analytical capability enables
Disney to build highly targeted marketing campaigns based on
demonstrated customer purchase history and consumption behavior.
Predictive analysis and modeling are advanced mathematical tools
Disney uses to project business outcomes based on various
assumptions drawn from its data. It enables Disney to select courses
of business building action with the highest probability of success.
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For instance, by knowing the ages of visiting children, it can build a

lifetime marketing plan for each child and family. As the child ages, the
child’s family receives age-appropriate offers from Disney.
When the child has grown up and starts a family of its own, he or she
too can receive Disney offers for their own children. His or her
parents can also receive offers to bring their grandchildren to a
Disney property, etc.
Disney also uses its customer lists to conduct surveys and focus groups
to learn what else its customers may want in the future and how Disney
can improve the customer experience it now delivers.
The comprehensiveness of this data collection and analysis system
provides Disney with tremendous insights into its current customers,
how to retain them as customers and attract new ones.
As a branded marketing company, Disney has invested in its data
collection and management systems so it can fully understand how to
focus and drive its front-end marketing efforts, which then contribute to
its back-end park results, and vice versa.
The Disney Brand Discipline

“Brand Disney” is one of the most carefully and intensively cultivated
brands in the world. Disney management has gone to great lengths and
taken great pains to assure that the Disney brand, and what it stands
for, is not tarnished in any way.
While the Walt Disney Company has acquired other brands and brand
names, and aggressively markets those brands (e.g., ESPN), it has
scrupulously kept the Disney brand true to its character, customer
positioning and brand promise.
It has successfully evolved the Disney brand experience to keep up with
the changes in children and society. It has done this while also
maintaining the character and essence of the brand.
It has also learned, and is continuing to learn, how to translate the
Disney brand experience into international cultures and make it a world
brand. The new theme park recently opened in Shanghai China is an
example of this total corporate focus.
The Disney promotional brand discipline is also extraordinary. Graphics,
copy, brand standards, customer service, etc., across all its activities and
all its vendors and suppliers around the world is consistent and
constantly monitored to maintain its brand integrity.
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“Brand discipline” is a professional discipline in its own right and one that
Disney management has constantly focused on and enforces across the
entire brand portfolio.
Lifetime Customer Brand Engagement

Within the Disney marketing machine is the recognition they can build
lifetime Disney Brand customer loyalty...no matter what age or stage of
life.
They have found that the Disney experience, and wanting to engage/re-
engage with the Disney experience, is a psychographic market
characteristic and it transcends all age, income, ethnic and demographic
parameters.
A Disney fan is a Disney fan...cultivated by Disney...literally for life.
Disney has created a fan club titled D23. The name stands for Disney
and 1923, the year the company started. The D23 Fan Club is (usually)
populated by adults and has an annual membership fee that entitles
members to a series of events, discounts, movie previews, advanced
access to new toys, games, etc.
D23 club members also hold “club meetings” at various Disney stores
throughout the year.
D23 also has an annual convention near a Disney park. In addition to
paid admission to the event, attendees also get special discounts for the
park...thus increasing their total Disney spend and increasing their
commitment to the brand.
Disney has taken lifetime customer value to a new level of understanding
through a combination of the following levels of engagement and
completing an entire lifecycle:
• As a child with Disney movies, TV programs, toys, books, games,
etc.
• As a child going to a Disney park
• As an adult engaging some Disney event, activity (e.g., park visit
with friends)
• As a parent taking children to a Disney park...start of the new
customer cycle
• As a parent buying Disney movies, toys, books, etc., for their
children
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• As a grandparent buying grandchildren Disney presents...

remembering their own Disney experience and starting the next
grandchild customer generation
• As a grandparent taking family to a Disney park
• As a Disney fan through membership in the D23 fan club
• As a collector of Disney memorabilia
The Disney brand approach is constant customer engagement through

constant understanding of product and engagement preferences; and
then delivering those preferences, no matter what stage of life. Total
lifetime engagement. Total lifetime customer value. Total Disney brand
building across generations and cultures.
What the Tradeshow Industry Can Learn from Disney

The Disney brand, and its focus on branded experience, is a
demonstration of how one creative experience (e.g., that first animated
film) can be turned into a “product” and then a hands-on experience
people are willing to pay for (even for a lifetime).
Brand Disney is also a demonstration of creative thinking and a
willingness to take risks.
Learning to manage creative businesses and creative people has helped
the Walt Disney Company extend its management talents to other
businesses adjacent to its core business.
The Disney Company has acquired such creative assets as the Capital
Cities/ABC network (including the ESPN sports network), bought two
Disney Cruise ships and invested in both its own parks and other
branded parks around the world.
Disney is also in a joint venture relationship with Chinese investors for its
Shanghai Disneyland park (part of a global Disneyland park brand
expansion) that recently opened.
Disney has demonstrated that managing creative products and
creative people is a highly marketable skill in and of itself. This skill
enables a company to buy and/or build other creative enterprises to
grow both its core business as well as other creative businesses that
can also contribute to the whole of the Disney enterprise.
The Disney MyMagic+ system is a contemporary data systems model.
It’s a demonstration of what the tradeshow industry will need to
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accomplish in the future with its own integrated marketing,

registration, customer preference, tracking and customer analysis
data systems.
With this type of data collection and analysis system, tradeshow
management would be able to adjust its tradeshow brand activities and
product mix to:
• Improve its SEO results and accelerate customer acquisition,
• Fine-tune the design and execution of its show(s),
• Enhance the attendee on-site experience,
• Increase customer satisfaction and retention,
• Develop new brand extensions and profit opportunities,
• Develop career-lifetime engagement programs and opportunities,
and
• Increase its fan base and fan loyalty
Today, because the tradeshow industry does not control a fixed site
where permanent data collection systems can be installed, and show
configurations change from event to event, the industry is looking to
various technologies and service suppliers for pieces of such a system to
then build on-site, ad hoc data collection systems for post-show data
analysis.
As noted previously, the industry and its vendors are now working on
smartphone apps, NFC signaling, iBeam kiosks, under-aisle carpet
sensors to measure aisle traffic, smart registration badges and many
other approaches to collect data about on-site attendee behavior.
ReedPop’s New York Comic Con is using RFID bracelets to track attendee
movement into and out of the exhibit halls.
Concert and festival promoters are using RFID bracelets and other
participant tracking systems for admission access and on-site event
purchases. The data generated from these bracelets enable post-event
analysis to learn more about the on-site attendee dynamics.
Within three to five years, the tradeshow industry will have a
rudimentary integrated data collection “system” that will be driven by
advanced apps and smartphone NFC (Near Field Communications),
iBeam (Blue tooth communications), RFID or yet-to-be-invented
capabilities.
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Exhibit halls and other venue partners will necessarily have to become
“smart-wired” buildings and help the tradeshow industry implement its
data collection evolution.
BDaaS (Big Data as a Service) vendors will be helpful to the tradeshow
industry in analyzing and interpreting its (smaller volume) collected data.
SaaS (Software as a Service) software that includes built in data
analytics is just starting to be developed and will be quite robust within
five years. Microsoft and other vendors are adding data analytic
capabilities to their server and data center software.
The continuing challenge for the tradeshow industry will be to integrate
all the various independent data systems to track an individual and his or
her total interaction with the tradeshow.
This would include the initial web site interaction and registration data all
the way through the on-site generated data and post-show data
collection systems.
From here that data would be processed by the various market research
and metric assessments integrated into the organization’s larger
“machine system” (previously discussed).
MDT digital systems integration leads to high-quality data capture and
the ability to analyze this data to mine important insights into customer
acceptance of your product(s) and their consumption behavior.
This type of analysis enables a show owner to continue to evolve the
show and keep it relevant and compelling and also be able to intensively
market it to its target audience.
The tradeshow industry’s biggest future technology gap however will be
converting data into business plans. This is not a skill set native to this
industry.
Data capture, analysis, interpretation and translation into MDT brand
strategy and action plans are major skill sets that must be added to
building a highly successful Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) brand
team.
The Disney Company and its theme park model provide a template
for the tradeshow industry to study for new ideas, processes and data
utilization.
The Disney management model also demonstrates how a creative
concept (movie cartoon characters) can be turned into tangible
products and services across a broad media platform.
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The various Orlando Florida theme parks provide other marketing and
web model formats against which a tradeshow owner can reverse
engineer its own web site design and marketing approaches.
The Orlando FL. theme parks also offer a whole range of visitor
opportunities. Their websites have been designed for easy navigation
and event/activity “finding” across a broad range of topics and
options and can serve as a model for tradeshow owners to consider.
These parks also demonstrate on-site customer tracking, data capture
and post-event analysis systems. Tradeshow owners can consider using
these approaches to help build shows and events that understand what
customers want and that are compelling and continue to meet evolving
customer needs, wants and desires.
Two Disney Management Capabilities for the Tradeshow Industry
Built into the Disney models are two important management concepts
the tradeshow industry will need to adopt as it moves to the future.
These concepts are:
• Agility, and
• Ambidexterity
Agility is the ability of a management team to quickly act and react to
changes in a marketplace, new technology, business concept or
emerging opportunity. It’s related to speed and responsiveness. As a
24/7 business, the MDT management team will need to incorporate
agility in its DNA. 144-148
Ambidexterity in sports is like a baseball player who can hit home runs
equally well batting right handed or left handed.
Ambidexterity in management is the ability to do many different things
well and all at the same time. 150
The Walt Disney Company management structure is a perfect example of
managerial ambidexterity. From managing theme parks to film
production to the ESPN sports network to Disney character toy licensing,
etc., Disney management can do it all simultaneously...and make a big
profit doing it.
When a management team is limited in its capacity to manage only one
type or style of business, it is also limited in what it can accomplish. It is
bounded and boxed in by the single-purpose structure of its managerial
capability.
Ambidexterity, on the other hand, opens the range of what a
management team can take on, accomplish and profit from.
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Ambidexterity will become a managerial skill set tradeshow owners will

need to acquire and develop in their staffs as time goes on, markets get
more complex and they implement the MDT approach to branded
product development.
Tradeshow team ambidexterity also expands the range of different
business, portfolio and profit opportunities it can develop because it can
successfully conceive and simultaneously manage non-similar
businesses.
Ambidexterity skills in tradeshow owner/management teams increase
profit opportunities and spread potential market risks across a broader
branded product portfolio.
The future will continuously be disrupted and will have to operate in an
asymmetrical marketing environment.
Asymmetrical marketing is like asymmetrical war. Nothing is linear, nor
stays the same for any continuing period of time.
Surprise, disruption, guerrilla marketing, unannounced new product
introductions and rapid technological obsolescence will continuously
change the marketplace in which a MDT brand competes. Change never
stops. Surprise is a constant.
MDT brand team future success will rest on the team’s agility and ability
to anticipate change, create flexible responses and have ambidextrous
skill sets to implement a diverse range of solutions, all at the same time,
to keep their MDT brand growing and thriving despite changes in the
business environment.
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Chapter 19
End Notes
CHANGE, the increasingly sophisticated use of data analytics

and digital marketing techniques on the part of exhibitors and
attendees will transform the fundamental purpose of the
tradeshow industry in the future.
Marketers now look at every product, distribution and media

channel, as well as time-frames, to conduct their business on a
24/7 basis. Their future-focused view eliminates the historical
marketing/media/distribution walls as these formerly
individual components now become one omni-channel,
marketing/media/distribution platform.
The tradeshow industry must now see itself as one of the parts in the
24/7/365, buyer/seller, omni-channel marketing universe.
Our industry must change from its static “show” industry self-
concept…to a dynamic “content/engagement” industry self-concept.
We must view our future as a branded content and experience
provider, and integral omni-channel member of a target community.
The question this book helps the tradeshow industry answer for the
future is…“How can a historically static analog industry succeed in a
fast moving digital omni-channel market place?”
The answer: We must become a dynamic, 24/7digital industry…not
wedded to historical static forms and processes…organized to rapidly
adopt new technology tools and product development strategies… to
become an integral component in the emerging, all-digital, Omni-
channel world.
_____
Customers Move to Participation: Festivals, Events, Concerts
and Theme Parks
Growth in the “in-person” world has been in participation event formats
with motion and dynamism such as festivals, concerts and theme
parks.
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Think about the 300,000 European rock concert attendees and the
70,000 people who attended the Burning Man event in the 100 -degree
Nevada desert in late August and who bring their own shelter, water
and food for three days.
Burning Man has no hotels, no bathrooms, no exhibition halls and no
air-conditioned restaurants and bars.
Add to these examples the 50-mile cancer walks, mud runs, 100-mile
desert endurance runs and the many other events where participants
are the program, where attendees are the source of the energy in the
event…and attendees ARE the event!
Think of the Comic Con series of events around the country in which
attendees make, and dress up in, costumes of their favorite comic book
or action hero. A reported 167,000 paid attendees were verified fans of
the event at New York’s Javits Center in 2015.
These examples of attendee-focused and programmed events clearly
demonstrate that where participants have PASSION for the subject
area and contribute to its programming…they actively ENGAGE and
make the event a success.
In these events, the organizer, attendee and exhibitors/sponsors are all
one. This is an Omni-channel design…linked together by passion,
engagement and participation.
Contrast these events with aisle after aisle of 10X10 look-alike booths
and bored exhibitors.
The tradeshow industry must question its willingness to commit to
three new practices:
1. Break the historical mold of what tradeshow and tradeshow
management is supposed to be and include the participants
to help create the dynamic experiences that generate passion
and engagement.
2. Embrace “Experience Design” as a professional discipline
and the research that goes with it.
3. Build research, data collection and analysis systems to
improve product design, audience targeting, messaging and
program decision making
“Crowd sourcing” has become a successful way to raise money from

the public to finance a start-up business.
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How about the concept of “participant sourcing” that includes active

attendee participation in the design and hosting of an event? Break
down the current show team’s us-them walls (i.e., we own the event)
and make the event an “our-team” Omni-channel event.
______
The Alphabet of Change
Technology is not only speeding up the game of marketing, it is also
increasing the precision and accuracy of product development and
customer targeting.
Marketers are developing rich data sets and increasingly sophisticated
analytical engines to help them focus their product development,
market targeting and marketing investment spend. No tradeshow
involved.
There is an alphabet of technology and technology applications in
development and start-up roll-out that will drive the future of
commerce, marketing and our industry. These letters and concepts are
from far outside the tradeshow industry and include:
• Instant gratification
• IoT Internet of Things
• MTM Machine-to-Machine learning
• AI Artificial Intelligence
• AR Artificial Reality
• AR Augmented Reality
• Robots (i.e., customer service robots)
• Experiential marketing
• On-line lifestyle
• Mobile lifestyle
• Eye tracking technology
• Omni-channel
• Systems theory
• Speech-bots (a sub-set of artificial reality)
• Immersive experiences (e.g., virtual reality)
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• Customer profiling
• Customer journey funnels
• DTC (Direct to Customer) marketing
• Cohort marketing
• 24/7
• Big data
• BDaaS (Big data as a service)
• Data analytics
• Data modeling
• Geo-targeting / geo-fencing
• Predictive marketing
• Subliminal marketing
• Tactile engagement
• Synthetic experiences
• Etc., etc., etc.
These letters and concepts, among others, are driving the business of
product development and marketing with three major outcomes:
1. Direct-to-customer relationships…cut out the middleman…(no
tradeshows)
2. Faster response time (i.e. NOW marketing) so customers get
what they want as fast as they want it, the way they want it, on
a 24/7 basis
3. Binding the customer directly to the marketer via data-driven
customer engagement strategies/practices for long-term
profitability
Consumer mass marketers (i.e. b2c) are leading the charge with these
new techniques. Their experiences are providing important tech-driven
marketing and customer acquisition lessons to the b2b marketing
community as it too converts to digital marketing.
______
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No More Catalogs. It’s All On-Line

Young trades people such as carpenters and installers are tending to
not use printed product or instruction catalogs to find information, get
part numbers, see products or solve problems. Instead, they go on-line
where marketers have put it for them and where marketers are placing
more product/marketing information as time goes on.
Moving to the future, AR (Augmented Reality) is predicted to become a
major tool in showing people how to use products and processes in
their own applications.
For example, by having an electrician forward a picture of an electric
motor from his job site to a manufacturer, the manufacturer can
deliver an on-line tutorial using AR to show step-by-step how its
product should be installed with that specific electric motor installation.
No catalog, no classroom, no human face-to-face interaction and no
tradeshow seminar. All digital, all the time and all on-line.
As network capabilities and speed increases (i.e., 5G) and
smartphones and tablets get smarter, the future will see more
marketers build “tradeshows and training in a hand set” via on-line
video, catalogs and AR tutorials.
The 4”X6” digital handset tradeshow is not far ahead. Especially as the
technology for “vertical video” is improved in the next two years.
______
Retailers Are the Leading Edge of the Technology Challenges
Ahead
Retailers, like show organizers, rely on face-to-face floor traffic for
income and brand loyalty. As store traffic slows down, spontaneous
sales and face-to-face customer relationships in the store also slow
down. Retailers however have shifted their business model to also offer
on-line engagement in an omni-channel format.
Thanksgiving “Black Friday” sales have traditionally been a very active
in-store sales event. Black Friday 2015 experiments with on-line
marketing promotions led retailers in 2016 to extended their on-line
Black Friday sales events to start one week prior to the actual Black
Friday and run through the Black Friday weekend and on to Cyber
Monday.
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Early 2016 estimates indicated:

• Approximately $1.2 billion on-line sales for Black Friday itself
• $5 billion in on-line sale for the Thanksgiving Day weekend, a
new historical record
• On-line sales estimated to exceed $7 billion through Christmas
2016
______
Retail Store Walk-In Foot Traffic Has Dropped Due To This
Surge In On-Line Ordering.
Major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Sears and Ralph Lauren have
announced store closings. Macy’s reportedly will close more than 100
stores. As more business moves on-line, more stores and retail outlets
will continue to close in the years ahead.
Recognizing the shift to on-line, Wal-Mart invested $3.3 billion to
acquire the logistics management company Jet.com. This strategic
acquisition now places Wal-Mart as a significant omni-channel
merchant with both in-person and on-line capabilities able to
aggressively compete with Amazon.com as well as with other retail
merchants.
Wal-Mart management has shown both agility and ambidexterity in
taking strategic action now to meet the structural and competitive
challenges it sees ahead for its business.
Amazon’s current experiments with drone package delivery and
driverless delivery vehicles portend the future of “speed” as a key
factor in competitively meeting customer needs/wants/desires NOW.
If retail customers are treated to “speed” as a component response to
their retail experiences, it won’t be too soon to have them also want
“speed” as a component of their b2b purchases also. This trend has
already started as manufacturers are beginning to move their order
and ship information on-line for customer self-ordering…no humans
involved….and no tradeshow needed.
The future challenge for the tradeshow is…how does a traditional
“static” tradeshow function in a world driven by customers demanding
the experience of “speed”, no waiting and NOW?
______
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Retail Foot Traffic and Brand Participation: The Issues Ahead

As retail consumers continue to switch to on-line ordering in the years
ahead, the issue for retailers will be how to generate in-store shopping
traffic and customer participation.
Right now, retailers are utilizing more in-store promotion days and
cross (media) channel marketing promotions (such as Black Friday and
Cyber Monday).
With increasingly computer-sophisticated customers in the years
ahead, here are questions retailers must address:
“What will we have to do to keep physical traffic moving into
and out of our stores…and also continue to satisfy our
customers on-line?”
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are pricing and promotion strategies to
generate foot traffic into stores. They also reduce profit margins and
slow sales in the several months following Christmas as people loaded
up with purchases on Black Friday at discount prices.
The continuing retailer foot-traffic challenge ahead is…”how do we
program our stores so they become attractive places for customers to
want to visit, shop and buy”?
______
Tradeshow Foot Traffic and Brand Participation: The Issues
Ahead
In the b2b space, tradeshows act as middlemen, like a retail store.
Businesses can come to a physical “place,” see/touch merchandise, talk
to sales people and place orders…just as retail customers go to a retail
store, see merchandise, talk to sales people and place orders.
For associations and professional organizations, the annual meeting
and tradeshow “place” has been of value because it enabled the
organization to “touch” its members and also be a “place” where its
members can engage their peers face-to-face.
In each case, the store and the exhibition facility are “places” where
product, information and people come together.
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The two very important questions for the tradeshow future are:
1. Is “place,” and what goes on there, important enough to bring
in-person traffic to the “place?”
2. Are tradeshow, meeting and event professionals only in the
“place” business?
The future challenges for the tradeshow industry continue to be:

1. Can we build a 24/7 engagement/commerce model where
“place” is only one component of a 365-product delivery
calendar?
2. Can we program “place” to be valuable enough that the cost of
“place” vs. seller-direct on-line at home, will easily justify the
attendee time and dollar investment to travel to “place” and
physically attend?
The strategic business alternative to “place” for a tradeshow brand
manager is “outcome.” Can tradeshow brand managers re-focus their
tradeshow brands and service delivery models to include
products/services that also deliver a compelling audience “outcome”?
For example, can the tradeshow brand use speech bots and on-line 360
immersive VR programming to deliver a highly valuable educational
“outcome” …with no central “place” involved? On a 24/7 basis?
This alternative “outcome” delivery would be one component in an
organizer’s total omni-channel engagement of its brand’s market space
and market community.
______
U. S. Postal Service
The U.S. Postal Service is a logistics management entity with retail
store (i.e., post offices). Its logistics management capabilities delivers
letters and packages to homes and businesses; and its retail stores sell
stamps and delivery services to retail customers.
With the growth in on-line e-mail, traditional letter and retail services
volume and post office foot traffic has fallen off. The Postal Service
now faces the problem of what to do with their retail post office spaces
and retail postal employees.
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One of the ideas under consideration is to turn part of the local post
office into a community bank. This would be a strategic diversification
in its basic mission… driven by the need to generate foot traffic to use
its existing retail space and personnel.
If foot traffic fall off in a bedrock institution like the U.S. Postal service
is being affected by the technology tsunami…what is ahead for the
tradeshow industry?
______
Hot Spots Of Future Technology Implementation
Here are some of the emerging trends that will fully emerge in the next
five years.
• 360-degree virtual reality use is growing rapidly and now being
driven on-line by interactive games and pornography. These
are global industries and generate billions of dollars in annual
revenue
• Increased participation in 360-degree on-line VR will move this
technology to become the “preferred medium” of other subject
categories and applications
• In time, on-line 360 VR will become the norm for product and
event organizer brand engagement
______
Accelerated Automation Of The Workforce
Work and workers are being affected by advancing technology
sophistication. Workers are being given new tools to help them get
more done in less time. Workers are also being replaced by new digital
tools and the IoT as well as automated tools and systems. Here are
some of the emerging trends that will fully emerge in the next five
years.
• New digital production tools
• New digital systems to schedule work
• New digital systems for quality control
• New digital systems to train workers
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• New digital systems will replace and displace human workers

• Quality and cost efficiency will improve significantly
• Full automation of systems and processes will accelerate over
the next decade
• New digital skills will be needed in manufacturing and
distribution
______
Customer Service Expectations Will Increase
• Customers realize they are in charge
• Customers expect better, individualized and more comprehensive
services
• Customers want it NOW; and when and where they want it
• Customers will want it both digitally and “human”
______
Customer Service Will Be Handled By Customer Service Bots:
Humans Handle Exceptions
• Bots can deliver customer service 24/7
• Bots can be programmed with pleasant voices
• Bot programming can provide complete answers to most asked
questions
• Data recording of issues and results so bots can be constantly
upgraded to answer more customer questions
• Machine learning and constant improvement on issues and
wants/desires
• Data mining of all customer service and bot calls
• Constant improvement in skills and capabilities
• Customer up-selling built into customer service
• Completely digital transactions; detailed customer purchase
records
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• Closed digital loop…order, service, payment, shipping, follow-

up…all via machine
• New product/service development as data byproduct of bot
interactions
• Automatic customer follow-up and service assessments for
customer loyalty programmed into advanced digital systems
______
The Future Will See Bot Wars And Bot Attacks
• The automaticity of bots make them perfect malicious
functionaries
• Bot hacking will be more sophisticated than current hackers
• No data will be safe from hacking
• Data security and secure data processes will be mandatory
______
The World Will Become More Tightly Interconnected
• Digital systems will connect more aspects of the global
population
• As a connected world, what happens in one area of the world
will be noted and felt in another area of the world
• Common local issues will become global issues to manage due
to planetary interconnectedness. For example, air quality,
global warming, garbage disposal/re-cycling, water quality,
health care, population control/emigration oil/mining, etc. etc.
• Tradeshows will move around the world to take advantage of
emerging market opportunities
______
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Digital Currencies And Bookkeeping Systems Will Flourish

• Cash money will be reduced by governments and b2b
electronic funds transfer will flourish
• BitCoin is a “digital currency” now in early commercial use
• Other BitCoin-type currencies are being invented and will also
be placed into circulation
• Governments favor bitcoin to reduce printing cash and better
controlling their currencies, counterfeiting and smuggling
• Businesses are starting to get comfortable transacting in digital
currencies
• “Blockchain” is an accounting system to track bitcoin
transactions for all parties and all steps in the transaction
• Blockchain as an accounting system will have applications
outside of the currency market
• Bitcoin is already an international currency
• Bitcoin will become a payment option in the tradeshow industry
in ten years
______
Systems And Data Hacking Will Grow In Severity
• Hacking data and information has been on the rise
• Hacking is an international, political and financial fact of life
that will become more intense over time
• Information/systems anti-hacking security must be key
management concerns
• Security vs. hacking will be an ongoing cat/mouse game
• The tradeshow industry must adopt modern data security
practices
_____
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AI (Artificial Intelligence) Science And Applications Will Grow

Exponentially
• After years of technical development, the science of AI has
grown significantly
• AI applications now drive speech bot technology, Siri and
Cortana type voice search engines and driverless cars
• The advancing sophistication of AI science and real-world
experience will move AI into increasingly more applications
where machines seem to think for themselves and accomplish
tasks, act as butlers/office assistants/nannies, etc., for humans,
translate languages, read handwriting and conduct
transactions, etc.
It will remain to be seen if 10 years from now people will want more AI
enablement in their lives so they do not have to do things for
themselves
______
Continuing Tradeshow Acquisitions
• Multi-media companies have been acquiring tradeshows
• Publishers will build expanded omni-channel brands via
tradeshow acquisitions
• Tradeshows and publications will continue to merge under
common ownership to create larger omni-channel media,
marketing and profit entities with greater critical mass
• Money from outside of the tradeshow industry itself will drive
on-going tradeshow acquisitions
______
Trump Election Campaign Model Provides Future Technology
Marketing Insights
The Donald J. Trump presidential candidate campaign was an
integrated omni-channel campaign. Events and in-person “face-to-
crowd” presentations were part of a larger overall integrated strategy
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that included traditional paid media, advanced target audience geo-

segmentation, on-line digital media and targeted message
segmentation.
The campaign was conceived and managed by Trump’s son-in-law
Jared Kushner, husband of his daughter Ivanka. (Forbes, 12/20/16 Pgs. 72-76)
There was an overall emphasis on cost control and bang for the buck
spent (or gotten for free). The result was a campaign that spent less
than half the amount spent by the Clinton team.
Advertising and Marketing Approach
• Conserve cash; spend only what was needed based upon
appropriate analysis
• Focus on winning: Electoral College votes win the presidential
election
• Facebook and twitter micro-targeting of potential audience
segments and electoral college votes
• Produce quick, low-tech, low cost, policy videos of Trump
talking to-camera
• Build a data-driven policy hub that collects and unites all data
from fundraising, messaging, media and audience targeting
efforts/activities under one roof (staffed 24/7 with 100 people)
• Measure and maximize every dollar spent: To quote Jared
Kushner…
“Moneyball”…”Which states would get the best ROI for the
electoral college vote?” “I asked, ‘How can we get Trump’s
message to the consumer for the least amount of cost?’”
• TV and on-line advertising…smaller and smaller percentage of
budget and promotional effort. Twitter and Facebook would be
the key tools to target audiences and carry specific audience-
targeted messages.
• Speed of analysis and decision-making were key campaign
management tenets. Test lots of ideas and concepts with quick
analysis and decision-making, fast turnaround, drop losers and
build on winners. Control costs.
• The team hired outside experts such as Cambridge Analytics to
help map voter universes and identify which aspects of Trumps
campaign platform had the highest voter traction.
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Francis J. Friedman
• The team used analytical tools like “Deep Root” to help identify
TV programs that were popular with certain voter blocks and
which messages should be run with which programs.
• The team built a voter geo-location tool that plotted 20 voter
profile types over a live Google Maps interface. This micro-
segmentation then led to message targeting and message
frequency decisions.
In-person rally locations and rally focus were also dictated by the
database and its indicated results. In-person events were used to
continue to develop and refine the candidate’s message, enhance voter
relationships with the candidate, increase media pick-up of the
candidate and his message and expand the target audience base (at
little no major out-of-pocket cost to the campaign due to media pick-
up).
Fundraising Strategy
Fundraising was also based upon data, speed and cost control. Machine
learning tools were used to evaluate specific campaign results and
direct/re-direct campaign efforts.
Multiple digital marketing companies were hired and set up to compete
for campaign fees based upon their fundraising results. Fundraising
ads/campaigns that did not work (i.e., low ROI) were cancelled
immediately.
Audience micro-targeting and message “tweaking” by target group, to
yield increased results, were the guidelines that drove fundraising.
Data analytics and decision-making speed kept the campaign moving
forward and continuing to raise campaign contributions. The campaign
raised over $250 million in four months primarily from small donors.
Overall Marketing Campaign
On an overall basis, this campaign represents the frontier and high
state of modern omni-market marketing thought and capabilities. Its
design and combination of high-speed data capture, data analysis and
data-based decision-making enabled the Trump campaign to create,
implement and manage an integrated and multi-faceted comprehensive
campaign that led to winning the necessary Electoral College votes in
the general election.
The elements of this successful omni-channel marketing campaign
included the following:
• Knowing the definition of winning (i.e., Electoral College votes)
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• Analysis of the highest probability of who/where the winning

votes were
• Detailed and on-going dynamic data analysis…in real time
• Sub-segmentation target audience models
• Targeted messages tied to specific target audience models
• Analytic determination that social media was more important
than broadcast
• Mixed media usage (i.e., rallies, digital, direct, broadcast, etc.)
based upon target audience data analysis
• In-person rallies integrated into the total audience targeting via
data analysis
• Use of professionals and their advanced state-of-the-art digital
tools
• Managerial understanding of digital marketing and sub-
segmented target audience focus
• Willingness to risk
• Test, test, test and test
• Fast decision-making; drop the losers and ride the winners
• Not self-conscious about dropping losers or what people would
think
______
The Tradeshow Industry’s Trump Campaign Model Takeaway
In-person events are part of an overall omni-channel messaging
package and multi-media execution. In this case, Mr. Trump was the
product and his team used many different forms and forums to
“message” him and his vision out to prospective voters.
Mrs. Clinton and her team had a similar overall campaign approach but
used a different in-person event, media/media-relations and messaging
strategy and marketing mix to contest the presidential election. They
also used different target audience criteria and data assessment tools
and approaches.
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In the 2016 presidential campaign, the candidates started with

themselves as “the core” brand and evolved the candidate messaging
and in-person events “out” from there.
For the tradeshow industry, it starts with the in-person event and
brand as core. From this start, the show brand must “message out”
from there to build awareness of, and demand for, its event.
This means the show brand must build an event “value profile”
someone will want to buy. Next, the brand team must do the
market/target audience data analysis, build target audience
segmentation profiles, geo mapping, copy development, etc, and build
the show’s omni-channel marketing/promotion/execution structure.
Winning tradeshow brands in the future will utilize similar Trump
marketing/data analysis components and quality data sets to build its
omni-channel campaign to attract and engage the high-value attendee
audience that wins exhibitors, sponsors and a high ROI.
______
Disruption Case Example: New York City Yellow Cab Model
Prior to Uber, New York City yellow cabs were the major source of “for
hire” street transportation in New York City. Yellow cabs and the
companies that owned them dominated the streets of New York City.
The NYC metal “taxi medallion” riveted to the hood of a licensed NYC
cab was sold at auction, prior to Uber, for almost $1 million. NYC banks
and credit unions funded medallion purchases with loan amounts up to
80 percent of the purchases price. Just as with real estate, the value of
the medallion served as security against the loan.
Uber entered the New York City transportation market with a new
technology-driven business model. It was stay-at-home, go-on-line,
order transportation that is clean and well maintained by a courteous
driver, no driver “attitude”, no cash needed, and have the service come
to you when and where you want it.
This was opposed to the yellow cab model of stand in the street in the
sun, rain and snow and hope you can wave a yellow cab to stop and
pick you up. Hope it’s clean and well maintained, hope the driver does
not have an “attitude,” hope the driver speaks adequate English, and
hope that you have cash to pay the fare.
Post-Uber, taxi cab medallions sell for around $400,000 and the yellow
cab industry has an approximate 60 to 65-percent share of market,
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down from its former 100 percent. New forms of even less expensive
“for hire” competition have entered the NYC market to further displace
the yellow cab.
Yellow cabs are still doing business when a customer feels like the
“randomness” of trying to hail a cab on the street for a ride. BUT, more
customers are opting to use their smartphone to “schedule” a ride
when and where they want it and in a clean environment that is
generally considered more pleasant than a yellow cab.
______
Will the Tradeshow Industry Become Equivalent to New York
City Yellow Cabs?
For the tradeshow industry, as increasingly sophisticated technology
unfolds over the next decade that pinpoints buyers for exhibitors, and
vendors for potential attendees, the question remains…can the existing
“randomness” of the tradeshow model continue to succeed for
exhibitors and attendees? Will that model generate foot traffic onto
show floors?
Looking to the future, as with the NYC yellow cab model above, will
tradeshows become the “street-hail” or second choice of b2b
commerce? Will they still be in business, but with less market share
and preference as a marketing channel to exhibitors who would prefer
to build direct-to-customer relationships via electronic media?
Increasingly, the first-place buyers and sellers would go to get
information and establish relationships would be on-line to use
increasingly sophisticated digital and video tools and processes to
find/get what they want. This would be especially true for the Gen Z
management class that has grown up with digital and on-line all their
life.
This customer-direct option will be especially relevant in five years as
b2b vendors change their back-end data structures to allow their
customers to self-order, schedule deliveries and pay with credit
facilities or bit coin currencies. No humans and no tradeshow. Just
MTM (machine to machine) systems to satisfy b2b buyer needs.
The on-going tradeshow industry future question: Will the introduction
of increasingly sophisticated digital technology and advanced market -
targeting platforms reduce the importance of the face-to-face
tradeshow “place” to the equivalent of the New York City taxi cab
industry in terms of relative b2b market importance and market share?
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To guard against the “yellow cab” possibility in the future, the

tradeshow brand manager will need to deliver the combination of
“place” AND “outcome” as the new measure of tradeshow 24/7 omni-
channel customer development success.
Implementing the Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) construct now will
position the tradeshow industry, and individual tradeshows, to be able
to successfully compete in the faster moving digital B-to-B marketplace
ahead.
______
Tradeshow Thoughts and Observations
-It’s not your show. You are the facilitator of the interests and
passions of participants
-Passion is an important motivator for people to take action and
engage
-Does your event reflect and engage the passion of its target
audiences?
-Does your event have a heart?
-If your event ceased to exist, how much would your current
participants care?
-Will your event’s community actively volunteer to help make the
event a success?
-Does your “community” actively encourage others to attend next
time? If not, why not?
-Are you ready to recognize that 10 years from now your brand
has to become a digital art form that engages…and not be
about fixtures and furniture on a grid?
-Curiosity, creativity, data and the willingness to risk will be the
keys to building and facilitating successful event brands in the
years ahead.
-Organizations implementing the tenets of the Modern Digital
Tradeshow NOW will easily make the transition to success in a
future that is digitally wired together and lives on a 4”X6”
smartphone and/or tablet.
______
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Today and Tomorrow

A key issue for tradeshow companies today: determining what is the
eco-system and omni-channel environment that your show(s) fits into
now…and how to build a successful show within that system.
A key issue for tradeshow companies tomorrow: how do you build an
organization that can live, thrive and succeed in a constantly and
rapidly evolving, highly competitive, all-digital, omni-channel
marketplace and build high-demand, ROI converting branded
products/properties?
The task ahead is to go about the process of re-thinking the entire
tradeshow business and monetization model. Then, create a more
highly skilled and dynamic organization structure able to succeed in
this competitive, rapidly emerging, all-digital environment.
What new organizational structures need to be developed? Who are
the new hires with new skill sets necessary for future success? What
technology platforms are needed to move the business onto so that it’s
a 100-percent digital organization?
What are the knowledge, training, commerce, and media executions
necessary to learn that will then create the successful intellectual
capital to facilitate building omni-channel communities for company
tradeshow brands?
Going forward, agility, flexibility, curiosity, data sophistication and
willingness to experiment and risk will be the key management skills
and attitudinal characteristics of successful tradeshow industry
organizations.
The necessary tradeshow industry fundamental shift is to recognize
that future business success is a digitally centered, 360-degree
organization functioning 24/7 to comprehensively engage its brands in
its customers 24/7, 360-degree market universe.
______
TRAFFIC…The Ultimate Measure of Success
We can have all the conversations, plans and programs about the
future of our industry. No matter what we talk about or how good our
plans, unless they produce TRAFFIC, either on-site or to websites, we
have not succeeded.
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TRAFFIC has been, and will become even more so in the future, the
biggest issue facing tradeshow and event brand managers. TRAFFIC is
the tangible measure of engagement and success.
Without TRAFFIC, there is no event, or brand or profits. Without
TRAFFIC, there is no rationale for the future of the tradeshow industry.
As with the NYC yellow cab example, advancing technology is reducing
in-person traffic. Advancing technology is now, however, delivering on-
line compelling products and services that are drawing increasing levels
of digital TRAFFIC and profits.
The on-going daily battle is for tradeshow and event owners to try and
figure out how to design and program their shows to build attendance
(i.e., TRAFFIC) and justify ROI to exhibitors.
The business development challenge for tradeshow and event owners
will be to continuously evolve the design and programming of their
brands and building additional non-tradeshow product extensions and
profit opportunities for 24/7 community engagement.
Given the trends for traffic and profits to go digital, its also time for the
tradeshow industry to go all-digital as THE core element of its total
omni-channel positioning and contribution to, and participation in the
professional marketing community.
______
The tradeshow industry and individual tradeshow owners can

no longer wait to start the digital conversion journey. The time
to start this journey is now if the industry is to maintain it
share of market and exhibitor and attendee endorsements and
participation going forward.
The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) model is the

comprehensive digital conversion model that helps the
tradeshow industry, and each individual show
owner/manager, build the organization structure and
marketing capabilities to successfully compete in the
emerging and highly competitive omni-channel marketplace.
Implementing the MDT conversion model starting now will

enable the industry and individual show owners to build
brand-focused product Demand, Engagement, Traffic and
Profits into its ongoing future success.
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About the Author

Francis J. Friedman, MBA is a 25-plus-year award winning veteran of the
domestic and international tradeshow industry. He is also a deeply
experienced senior marketing executive in the consumer packaged goods
sector; an international speaker and an author.
In addition to being recognized as a leading industry consultant Mr.
Friedman is also recognized as a futurist in the tradeshow and events
industry through his writings, speaking and chairing several “future-
focused” industry task forces and committees.
Mr. Friedman’s articles on the tradeshow industry have appeared in
every major industry publication. He has also delivered key note
addresses to tradeshow industry audiences around the world. He
chaired the International Association of Exhibitions & Events “Future
Trends Task Force” from 2013 through 2016 and authored white
papers on the committee findings. He has also received the
prestigious IAEE Chairman’s Award.
As president of Time & Place Strategies, a trusted advisor and
business-building consultant to owners and managers of tradeshows
and events, his client assignments have produced tens of millions of
square feet of space and several millions of professional attendees.
Mr. Friedman works with clients to turn around underperforming
events, accelerate the growth of existing events and create and
launch new events. He works with clients to build strategic and
tactical plans that anticipate the impact of change. He also provides
hands-on assistance (and sometimes actual leadership) in
implementing compelling marketing solutions that result in high-
value, branded and financially successful tradeshows and events.
Prior to entering the tradeshow industry Mr. Friedman was a senior
marketing and advertising executive in the highly competitive
consumer packaged goods industry. As a consumer brand marketing
executive, the national brands he managed and supervised sold
billions of dollars of product through every consumer marketing
channel and utilized every media option. Major consumer brands he
was responsible for included Folgers Coffee, Jiffy Pop popcorn, Ralston
Purina pet food, English Leather men’s toiletries and Sharp Electronics,
among others. He also launched over thirty new products to market.
Mr. Friedman entered the exhibition industry as vice president
corporate development at the Interface Group, then owner of the
COMDEX tradeshow. He directed the firm’s M&A activities and created
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Francis J. Friedman
the COMDEX global branding strategy, new show start-up program

and the COMDEX brand international joint venture roll-out program.
Mr. Friedman’s articles on the tradeshow industry have appeared in
every major industry publication. He has also delivered key note
addresses to tradeshow industry audiences around the world.
In addition to authoring “Tradeshow Industry Future, The Modern Digital
Tradeshow (MDT)”, he has co-authored two other books-Secrets of
Successful Exhibiting and Mastering the Art of Success. He has also
contributed chapters to the IAEE text book, The Art of the Show.
Mr. Friedman earned an MBA in marketing and manufacturing
management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern
University and a BS degree in industrial relations and personnel
management from San Jose State University.
He can be reached at Time & Place Strategies, 315 East 65 St, Ste 11J,
NY NY 10065 (212) 879-6400, and francis@moderndigitaltradeshow.com
Francis J. Friedman, MBA

President
Time & Place Strategies
(212) 879-6400
(917) 5928632 (mobile)
francis@moderndigitaltradeshow.com
tjfconsult@aol.com
twitter.com @Francis Friedman
linkedin.com Francis Friedman
linkedin.com/groups/2527971
facebook.com/TimeandPlaceStrategiesInc
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Exhibit I
Technologies Driving the Future
Looking to the future, the tradeshow industry must understand 21

strategic and technology trends that are part of what is driving the
marketing universe and exhibitor direct marketing activities. The
tradeshow industry can also use this knowledge for its own competitive
advantage and business development if it is not to be left behind.
• Content has become the ubiquitous medium of marketing
exchange. Over time, content will continue to grow even more
important, elaborate, inventive and dynamic as THE key marketing tool
in the customer experience battleground. Content strategy and its
dynamic execution will become one of tradeshow management’s most
important functions and technical skill sets in the future.
Content has become the lifeblood of marketing and customer
development. FREE content has become the “bait” that draws people to
a marketer. FREE content has also become a way for a marketer to tell
its story to potentially interested community universes. Content includes
every medium and every form of information delivery from articles, white
papers, streaming video, etc.
Content development and delivery is a specialized skill that must be
added to tradeshow teams. A content manager, content development
specialists or outside resources will be necessary to produce content that
will move a tradeshow team forward in producing a 24/7 Show
relationship with its target customer universe.
• Networks will continue to expand and upgrade the quality, speed
and throughput of their digital signals, as well as expand their
coverage areas...and personalize their messages. 5G networks (up
from the current 4G global platform) are just now being introduced in
South Korea and will be global by 2020. This means, among other
things, higher-quality images, sound, two-way interactivity, 3D
broadcasting and holograms, etc. These more robust and engaging
communication forms and capabilities mean marketers can reach,
engage and sell to customers directly with highly engaging and
interactive content via this advanced technology. So too can tradeshow
organizers.
Networks will include WiFi, Internet, cable, satellite and private
networks. Increased network speed and expanded bandwidth capabilities
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mean that a network can handle a more sophisticated electronic

message (e.g., video-chats, holograms), two-way interactive and on a
faster/real-time basis. These capabilities, in turn, make digital
communications more attractive and cost-effective as a direct customer
sales medium.
These advanced network and media capabilities will also give attendees
more discretion in deciding to stay home and get what they want on-line
and not travel to see an event in person.
Current examples include distance learning, tele-medicine and
telecommuting where students, doctors and employees stay home and
perform their tasks via existing networks. Not in person or at a
tradeshow.
The advanced networks and media capabilities ahead will engage more
people and far more deeply. For example, tele-medicine is expected to
grow rapidly as more digital media capabilities enable doctors all over
the world to examine patients, see x-rays, etc., all online....face to face,
but not in person.
For the tradeshow industry looking forward, these advanced tools will
provide unheard of capabilities to promote shows and events in exciting
new and engaging formats.
More importantly for the industry, however, potential attendees will have
far more discretion to decide to travel or stay home and get what they
want through networks and smartphones, and not travel to a tradeshow.
To get attendees to tradeshows, tradeshow owners will need to create
better-targeted and higher-value shows and events that are able to
move a potential attendee from deciding to stay home to deciding to
attend in person.
• Cloud computing is the distribution of data and files across a
broadly-based computer network that is accessible through any viable
Internet access protocol. Cloud computing will grow significantly in the
years ahead as smartphones and mobile computing increasingly enable
mobile workers to access data stored “in the cloud” via a small hand-
held device. The Internet of Things (IoT), Machine to Machine (M2M)
and remote computing services will be built as cloud-based applications.
These new advanced technologies, via cloud computing, will accelerate
the speed of data collection and machine-based decision making across
all sectors of the global society from farming to medicine to commerce to
weather forecasting to war and global defense.
• Mobile devices will get smarter, more unique and offer more services
as time goes on. Faster WiFi networks (e.g., 5G ) and cloud computing
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will enable a smartphone user to have access to large amounts of data

stored in the “cloud” that he or she does not need to carry on the
smartphone itself.
Because each smartphone has its own unique “address,” it is accessible
for individually targeted marketing. Mobile advertising and direct mobile
marketing is expected to grow substantially in the future...eating deeper
into the available marketing and advertising budgets while directly
connecting marketers with customers.
It is anticipated that there will be at least two rounds of new
smartphone/device upgrades within the next five years.
Mobile has become so important as a future trend that in April 2015
Google changed its search engine web site ranking system to give
mobile-optimized web sites a priority in search results over non-mobile
optimized web sites.
Mobile “optimization” (for all mobile formats including tablets,
smartphones, etc.) will guide all future communication designs (e.g.,
web sites and social media) and transmission protocols on a global basis.
This also means e-commerce will accelerate in importance as “devices”
will easily be able to download relevant information and make purchases.
• Apps for the smartphone will continue to evolve. Custom apps,
marketer-specific apps, tradeshow-specific apps and tradeshow industry
vendor-developed apps will all evolve in the future at accelerating rates.
Apps and applications, we cannot now conceive of will be invented and
applied in the decade ahead.
Apps and app usage will also provide data to the app vendor about the
use patterns of the device owner. This customer use data will be
gathered and analyzed with Big Data and BDaaS tools for ways to both
improve the app itself and to sell user data to marketers. Selling usage
data becomes a secondary income stream for app developers.
• E-commerce (m-commerce) will increase in importance and
volume via advanced technology. Marketers who now take large booth
footprints at tradeshows are increasing their direct-to-customer online
marketing and sales campaigns. These marketers already have a wide
range of online options, including their own virtual events and
e-commerce/e-marketing programs. They are developing more robust
systems and processes for online customer engagement and sales as
they move to the future. For these technologies enabled large exhibitors,
they can analyze their e-technology/ecommerce ROI more precisely and
make highly informed comparative investment decisions on their own e-
marketing vs. public tradeshow ROI.
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• Social media platforms now drive customer conversation and

engagement. Looking to the future, new social media capabilities yet to
be developed will grow more pervasive, utilitarian and fundamental to
daily life. Social media strategies will enable b-to-b companies to lower
the cost per lead, maintain customer relationships and expand their
sphere of influence. The existing platforms will be substantially
upgraded, and new robust platforms introduced within the next five
years as cross-channel marketing grows in importance. The tradeshow
industry and individual shows will also have access to these tools and
will need to increase their internal capabilities to effectively use these
tools to grow its business.
• Big Data is the use of mainframe computers to analyze large
volumes of data to find trends and patterns within or from that
data. This advanced data analysis enables marketers to find out how
their customers think and act and then build new marketing
programs that capitalize on the findings of the analysis. Big Data
analysis and its evolving applications will increase in usage and
importance as time goes on. The data from Big Data analysis will
also become monetized as marketers will sell this data to other
marketers and service providers.
• BDaaS (Big Data as a Service) is the scaled-down version of
Big Data where specialized software and independent service bureaus
can provide data analysis for smaller databases and smaller projects.
Data networks are building this analysis into the network feed.
Tradeshow owners will be able to use BDaaS to analyze data gathered
on-site at a show, and through web traffic, to research its audiences
and build more highly targeted customer acquisition programs.
• Metrics is the term applied to “forms of measurements” and/or
data collected from a process or activity. What constitutes a “metric”
will vary from marketer to marketer and from show owner to show
owner. Metrics are valuable because they are set up to measure
program results (especially for fast moving marketing programs). Data
collection (i.e., metrics) will grow in importance to tradeshow
managers as they apply “data driven” strategies to measure their
marketing programs and test (utilizing metric assessments) alternative
marketing approaches to increase their marketing results and levels of
financial success.
Metrics (i.e. measurement) are the gateway to data-driven marketing
and management. There is a management saying that goes...”if you
can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” What is to be measured and what
the specific “metric” is for that measurement is determined on a case-by-
case basis.
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• Data, its collection and analysis will grow substantially in

importance over time. On the front end of marketing data
collection, customer data, web site data, customer contact data,
requests for information, etc., will be collected and analyzed. On
the back end, strategies will be followed to determine the quality of a
lead and whether that lead goes into the customer development “sales
funnel” for follow-up...or into some other function or process.
On the front end of customer engagement and marketing, the tradeshow
industry still relies on registration data, direct mail lists and past
attendee information as the primary database for attendee development.
It is starting to wrestle with back-end questions of on-site data gathering
via techniques such as NFC (Near Field Communications), RFID, iBeam
(Bluetooth technology), registration card microchips, scanners, electronic
sensors under aisle carpets, etc.
The next five years will see more progress in data collection and analysis
across the entire tradeshow industry. We will also see more concerns for
data privacy in collecting data and data security in keeping it safe from
hackers. The larger tradeshow production companies, and major industry
vendors, are now pioneering these techniques because they have the
financial and personnel resources to experiment with them. They also will
develop the ability to analyze the data they capture to determine what it
“means” and then turn that meaning into marketing programs and floor-
level plans.
BDaaS and data service bureaus will be consultants to the tradeshow
industry to help in these analytical jobs and in extracting “meaning” from
the data.
Tradeshow data will also be generated across all marketing and
management functions. SEO data search, website traffic analysis, testing
data, marketing campaign results, financial management, etc., will also
become data sets the MDT brand team will need to capture and analyze.
Here again, it will not only entail the analysis of this data but also the
translation of the analysis into action plans for the ongoing marketing
and management of a given show.
• Venue bandwidth capability (at convention centers and public
venues) will continue to be an issue in the tradeshow industry over the
next five years.
The increases in public broadband and WiFi network availability, service
speed and graphic/video bandwidth delivery to devices and smartphones
will raise the demands for those services by both exhibitors and
attendees at venues and public facilities. The venue technology to
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deliver those services and the costs for those services will be an ongoing
issue/discussion for venue owners and tradeshow managers.
The San Francisco 49ers football team spent $125 million on its new
stadium to provide broadband and WiFi services to fans. Research
showed fans wanted to be easily able to use their smartphones during
the game, to network with their friends about the game (i.e., the second
screen), order food and souvenirs without leaving their seat and they
wanted to stream TV to their handset. That $125 million was invested to
be sure fans were in seats, on-site, during the game.
All NFL and NBA stadiums are investing in high-speed networks to
keep fans in attendance at local games instead of at home, eating
pizza and watching the games on their big screen TV’s. They are also
stepping up their in-stadium programming to constantly engage their
fans (who tend to be younger and social media engaged) as well as
sell team merchandise and food.
The broad-based introduction of 5G technology in 2020 will help
resolve some of these bandwidth issues as 5G is a very robust
technology.
• Advances in graphics/pictures/video/sound will leap forward
over the next five years. The 4K Ultra High Definition curved TV set is
now on the consumer market with an outstanding picture, surround-
sound and home WiFi Internet connection. The big-screen 8K TV was
introduced as a new concept at the 2014 NAB show (the 8K screen looks
like 3D without the need for special glasses).
However, even today’s advanced technologies will be eclipsed by at least
two successive new technology generations in the next five years.
Importantly, people will have a daily “media” interface experience that is
rich and engaging...at the handset level and on their home and office
screens. This will set a standard of attendee neurological, media
engagement and experience expectations that must be met on-site at
the Modern Digital Tradeshow.
This means tradeshows must begin their attendee engagements at this
level of neurological engagement expectations if a show is not to be
perceived as boring and non-engaging.
• Games/Massively Parallel Games are driving advanced graphics
and “game playing experiences.” Many of the advances in multi-media
technologies have been developed by the gaming industry. Massively
parallel games enable tens of thousands of global players to play the
same game at the same time irrespective of global location. These
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games set a high level of immersion and engagement. Games are played
in virtual space and in virtual worlds.
VR (virtual reality) headsets are driving the latest evolution of game
design and graphic user interface. These expanded capabilities provide
total 360 degree immersive experiences.
This VR enabled technology can be used by exhibitors to give immersive
demonstrations in their booth at a tradeshow.
This technology can also be transmitted over networks so that
immersive demonstrations can be given to clients by marketers without
the client having to travel to get the demonstration. This means
marketers can utilize this highly engaging medium to meet client needs
and no one has to travel or use a tradeshow to complete a sale.
It is the progression of the massively parallel technical capabilities that
will facilitate new forms of “virtual world commerce” and virtual
relationships going forward. Virtual reality and holographic technologies
can provide highly realistic digital experiences that can potentially reduce
the need to travel to see or experience something in-person.
Massively parallel games are a form of global collaboration and
interactivity. They can also serve as a parallel structure for new forms of
tradeshow and event development and marketing.
There are leading-edge/bleeding-edge technologies now being
introduced that will greatly re-shape the technology landscape over the
next 10 years. The use and application of these technologies cannot be
fully known now. They will, however, speed up the direct marketing
relationships between exhibitors and their customers in the competition
over who controls the customer experience. These new technologies
include:
• Wearable computing has taken a step-up in importance going
to the future with the launch of products like the Apple Watch, wrist
band products such as digital coaches, fit bands and total immersion
headsets (e.g., Oculus and Samsung virtual reality headsets).
Continuing advances in microchip designs and screen technologies
will evolve the human interface with data, commerce and the
interactivity of humans and their ongoing experiences with a
connected world via wearable computing and communicating
devices.
These devices are also part of the larger IoT (Internet of Things) as
they are connected to the Internet via wifi to send and receive data.
The data generated by “wearables” is also able to be monetized by the
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data collector (e.g. fit band brand management) and sold to other
marketers (e.g. sneaker manufacturers).
These devices also track the wearer via that person’s connection to
the Internet. The data from that tracking (e.g. daily travel routes,
hours of use, etc) provided the device manufacturer a great deal of
personal information...and that too can be sold to marketers.
The ownership of personal information will become an important issue in
the future.
• IoT/IoE (Internet of Things, Internet of Everything) is the
connection of anything and everything to the Internet with its own
discrete Internet address. Devices could include door locks, home
security systems, factory machines, automotive systems, wearable
computing devices, etc. Intel is making microchips that can be
embedded in almost any device or thing and connected to the
Internet. The devices would be embedded with software and
managed by computer or smartphone over any Internet or WiFi
connection.
The byproduct gold of IoT is monetizing the collected data. The collected
data of IoT devices, cards and systems has value to marketers. IoT
device providers can package and sell that data to marketers.
For example, right now credit card companies are IoT vendors
because all credit card transactions are captured over the Internet.
Credit card companies sell their data to marketers for special offers.
Credit bureaus who monitor credit scores also sell their data to
marketers.
• M2M (Machine to Machine) is an advancing system
technology where machines communicate to and manage other
machines. The IoT mentioned above make it easier to extend the
current M2M technology to the entire world of connected devices.
This means advanced systems using IoT data, artificial intelligence
or some other criteria programmed into the design of a system can
have machines managing other machines and without any direct
human intervention (other than in building the system). For
example, fail-safe systems in a power generating plant where one
system alerts the second system to shut down a certain operation
due to safety concerns.
• Advanced collaboration technologies include technologies
that remove the need for travel or in-person demonstrations or
communication and include: multi-person video conferencing,
smartphone video (e.g., Skype and the newly introduces real -time
smartphone streaming app Meercat), virtual presence to the desktop
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and mobile devices as well as to the IoT and M2M above. The se
advancing collaborative technologies will grow in importance as they
reduce travel, save money, keep people home with their family and
still put people face to face to collaborate and/or make a sale. They
eliminate/reduce the need to travel to a location to meet, see
products or make buying decisions.
• Augmented reality (AR) is the integration of digital information
with live video or the user's environment in real time. Augmented
reality uses an existing picture, or a digital camera focused on a live
environment, and adds new pictures or information into it from pre -
existing digital files. An example of augmented reality is the yellow
first down marker shown on TV broadcasts of football games.
Weapons systems status displays projected onto a fighter jet cockpit
window is another application of augmented reality.
The PokemanGo smart phone game is a combination of augmented
reality, GPS technology and gamification. The player has to get to a
certain set of GPS coordinates with the smart phone camera turned
on in order to get the Pokémon character superimposed on his screen
and play the game.
Augmented reality is becoming more widely used in the consumer
market and in tradeshow exhibits. The wired car is beginning to offer
augment reality windshield displays for cell phone controls and for GPS
data. It is also being used in museums and destinations to add more
information to digital pictures and other digital media devices.
Augmented reality is expected to increase in usage and in the depth and
breadth of applications both on the consumer and industrial levels.
Augmented reality applications can be broadcast over the Internet so a
manufacture can give a product demo to a remote customer on-line;
and/or have the demo self-play on a self-serve web site. Full demo...no
tradeshow.
• Virtual presence is the digital presence of a person who is
remotely managing that presence from a different location. The
advanced collaborative technologies noted above are part of this
technology. The mobile and location-independent version of this/these
technologies at present is a device that has an iPad mounted on a stick
atop a remotely controlled wireless mobile platform that looks like a
large vacuum cleaner motor or a Segway stick.
The remote user has a camera pointed at his/her face so the iPad has
the face of the user showing to others and the user can see what is
going on in the remote location via a camera on the iPad platform.
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Through a joystick, the user can move the platform around and remotely
talk to and interact with people and situations in the location where the
platform is physically located...but stay home and not travel. The 2015
International CES show had one exhibitor select booth space on-site via
a virtual presence platform.
The future will see the tradeshow industry face questions related to this
technology such as: 1) Can exhibitors staff their booths with augmented
reality platforms, and 2) will show owners permit augmented reality
attendees to attend their shows and, if so, how many can attend this
way?
• Virtual worlds are a derivative “spheres of activity” based upon
expanding network, satellite, graphics, video screen, IoT and artificial
intelligence technologies and capabilities. Fighting a drone war in
Afghanistan from a control panel in Arizona is an example of virtual war.
“Bitcoin” is a recently introduced virtual currency being pushed as a valid
currency for global commerce. Despite a rocky start due to certain fraud-
related activities, Bitcoin, and other virtual currencies to follow, is a
consider the potential future for cashless virtual global commerce.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Samsung just announced
a trial to broadcast NBA games to viewers in China using Samsung
virtual reality headsets that provide a 360-degree virtual experience like
being in the stadium where the game is physically being played.
The initial tests of this concept will be made with pre-recorded games. As
the technology is more fully developed over the next five years, the idea
is to go to a streaming platform.
The outcome for the NBA here is to develop a 1-billion-person Chinese
market for NBA-style basketball...and the revenue stream that goes with
it.
For the tradeshow industry going forward, early trials of virtual
tradeshows with this 360-degree virtual worlds technology will give way
to more robust offerings in terms of graphic and network capabilities and
end-user engagement with these new technologies as they are
developed going forward. Massively parallel game technology also has
potential for virtual tradeshows as well.
The challenge to the tradeshow industry will be to understand that a
“virtual tradeshow” is not a tradeshow in the classic sense, but a media
product. As such, it needs to be produced and marketed as a media
product.
Virtual worlds and virtual commerce are competitive threats to in-person
events, while at the same time they also offer creative opportunities for
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new forms of commerce, communications and product and experience

marketing. We can expect to see a great deal of development in these
areas over the next decade.
• 3D includes 3D printing, holograms and “touch/feel.” These
emerging technologies provide the electronic delivery of a “reality” and
lifelike experience. 3D printing enables a company to send a product
sample to a prospective customer as an electronic file where the
customer can then “manufacture” that part in their own facility via a
3D printer. Customer service representatives and custom electronic
parts files can move the buyer-seller relationship forward with the
seller directly providing samples and custom designs to give the buyer
exactly what she wants...without the need for a tradeshow.
Holography is about to undergo a tremendous explosion in technological
advances and cost reduction. Holograms have been best known for their
use in entertainment. Their future, however, will include such uses as
medicine and the ability to visualize organs for surgery, military for
mapping battlefields and planning maneuvers, oil drilling to map
geological structures, urban planning, etc.
Advanced holographic technology will enable films of people who have
died to be re-done as holographic images and appear as if that person is
still alive. For example, seeing Winston Churchill give a speech, Frank
Sinatra sing a song, and Einstein give a lecture. These digital re-
creations will make the holographic experience seem as if the audience
is having a live, real-time experience of that person.
HologramUSA is a U.S. company that now owns the technologies
invented by Uwe Maass and his former German company Musion.
HologramUSA has produced large-scale holographic experiences such as
Narendra Modi running for election in India, giving life-sized holographic
speeches at rallies in India; Jimmy Kimmel Live guest interviews on
television and holographic concert events. There is some talk of 2016
U.S. presidential candidates using this holographic technology to be “at”
more than one supporter rally at the same time.
The H+ start-up company is crowdsourcing funding to launch its desk-
sized holographic consumer product that will sell for under $1,000. In
addition to connecting to the Internet, their unit will be able to connect
to a smartphone for face-to-face holographic streaming video.
In the next few years, holography will be used in entertainment,
tradeshow booths and keynote presentations, etc. Within a decade,
however, homes and office environments will have low-cost holographic
technologies for lifelike, face-to-face communications. Time and distance
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will not be an impediment to “almost lifelike” communications, marketing

and selling.
Haptics is a newly emerging technology that adds “remote touch” to
computer screens and devices via computer software that drives
embedded mini-motors in devices and screens. Reportedly the touch
feeling is the same haptically as in reality.
Haptic technology enable a device or computer screen to mimic the
“touch” sensation of something located somewhere else, or embedded in
the device and driven by software. For example, feeling the keys of a
keyboard on flat tablet screen, feeling the touch of a wooden piece of
furniture from a picture on a computer screen.
Devices can have unique types of buzzing, massaging or nerve stimulation
built into software programs to emulate touch in a way that has previously
not been available. For example, clothing that has haptic capabilities can,
via WiFi, receive the same sensations as a hockey player being hit with a
hard body check if the hockey player is wearing sensors to record that hit
and broadcast it.
Haptic technologies are projected to provide such capabilities as teaching
surgeons what a scalpel feels like in an operation via software and a
hepatic scalpel and virtual sex via clothing with appropriately place
sensors and related software.
• Robots and robotic control systems, both consumer and
industrial, are an outgrowth of advanced computing technology, artificial
intelligence, machine learning technologies, IoT and M2M systems
technologies. The next 10 years will see a rapid expansion of robots and
robotic systems that will both displace and augment human labor and
currently existing human centered systems.
Robotic systems will grow in importance over the decade as more
applications are developed for machine control of applications and
processes. Marketing automation, in-line Big Data and BDaaS analysis,
and other marketing and sales functions will be moved to “expert
systems” as the technology is developed.
Robots and expert-systems will move marketing and customer
relationship fully into “real time” marketing, sales and customer service
on the part of manufacturers and retailers. Deep data bases and
customer tracking metrics will move the sales process from a customer
seeking a product to a manufacturer anticipating that customer need and
having it immediately available...almost before the customer asks.
The 10 year-ahead future challenge to the tradeshow industry
will be to convince exhibitors and attendees that in-person exhibiting and
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attending is more fulfilling and cost-effective than is on-line face-to-face,

holographic, virtual reality, virtual presence and heptic online digital
alternatives.
The continuing advances in digital technologies, and their increasing
ability to give potential customers (i.e., attendees) more discretion to
travel or stay home, “nibbles” away at many of the historical reasons to
“have to” attend a tradeshow.
Every time a potential attendee of any tradeshow stays home and does
his business online, it’s a reduction in the overall viability and robustness
of the tradeshow industry.
The battle to produce high-quality, high value in-person
tradeshows and events vs. major exhibitor online direct-
customer marketing programs has now been engaged. The next
10 years will be a footrace to see who wins control of the
customer experience, the customer’s loyalty, TRAFFIC and the
revenue and profits that go with them.
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Exhibit 2
This chart can be used by a tradeshow brand team to track its
MDT transformation progress.
Start with 0 as to the level of development for each characteristic in the

MDT evolutionary process. A level 5 is complete mastery. Rate each of
the eight MDT characteristics from 0 to 5 and place a dot on the graph
for each rating characteristic. Draw a line to connect each of the eight
dots. The resulting “web” graphic will quickly show where a tradeshow
or show producer organization is in its progress of converting to become
a Modern Digital Tradeshow &/or tradeshow production organization.
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Exhibit 3
The Walt Disney Company
Company Overview
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is
a leading diversified international family entertainment and media
enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and
resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media.
Media Networks
Media Networks comprise a vast array of broadcast, cable, radio,
publishing and digital businesses across two divisions – the Disney/ABC
Television Group and ESPN Inc. In addition to content development and
distribution functions, the segment includes supporting headquarters,
communications, digital media, distribution, marketing, research and
sales groups.
The Disney/ABC Television Group is composed of The Walt Disney
Company’s global entertainment and news television properties, owned
television stations group and radio business. This includes the ABC
Television Network, ABC Owned Television Stations Group, ABC
Entertainment Group, Disney Channels Worldwide, ABC Family as well as
Disney/ABC Domestic Television and Disney Media Distribution. The
company’s equity interest in A&E Television Networks, Hulu, and Fusion
round out the Group’s portfolio of media businesses.
Parks and Resorts

When Walt Disney opened Disneyland on July 17, 1955, he created a
unique destination built around storytelling and immersive experiences,
ushering in a new era of family entertainment. Sixty years later, Walt
Disney Parks and Resorts (WDP&R) has grown into one of the world’s
leading providers of family travel and leisure experiences, providing
millions of guests each year with the chance to spend time with their
families and friends making memories that will last forever.
At the heart of WDP&R are five world-class vacation destinations with
11 theme parks and 47 resorts in North America, Europe and Asia,
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with a sixth destination currently under construction in Shanghai.

WDP&R also includes the Disney Cruise Line with its four ships-the
Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy;
Disney Vacation Club, with 13 properties and more than 200,000
member families; and Adventures by Disney, which provides guided
family vacation experiences to destinations around the globe.
The Walt Disney Studios

For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on
which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the studio brings
quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the
world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney,
including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios;
Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the
banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are
distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney
Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music
Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live
events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.
Disney Consumer Products

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) is the business segment of The Walt
Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and its affiliates that delivers innovative
and engaging product experiences across thousands of categories from
toys and apparel to books and fine art. As the world's largest licensor,
DCP inspires the imaginations of people around the world by bringing the
magic of Disney into consumers' homes with products they can enjoy
year-round. DCP is comprised of three business units: Licensing,
Publishing and Disney Store. The licensing business is aligned around
five strategic brand priorities: Disney Media, Classics & Entertainment,
Disney & Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Princess & Disney Fairies,
Lucasfilm and Marvel. Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world's
largest publisher of children's books, magazines, and digital products and
also includes an English language learning business, consisting of over
40 Disney English learning centers across China and a supplemental
learning book program. DPW's growing library of digital products
includes best-selling eBook titles and original apps that leverage Disney
content in innovative ways. The Disney Store retail chain operates across
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North America, Europe and Japan with more than 350 stores worldwide
and is known for providing consumers with high-quality, unique
products.
Disney Interactive
Disney Interactive is one of the world’s largest creators of high-quality
interactive entertainment across all current and emerging digital media
platforms. Products and content released and operated by Disney
Interactive include blockbuster mobile and console games, online virtual
worlds, and No. 1-ranked web destinations Disney.com and the Moms
and Family network of websites.
Source:
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/company-overview
Walt Disney World Web Site Guest Facilitation
(Notice all the sub-brand experience and profit center options for
guests [e.g. Disney Hollywood Studios, Disney Typhoon Lagoon,
etc.] within the Walt Disney World master brand. Notice also under
the Things To Do listing the variety, breadth and depth of options
presented for park guests to participate in...and where they can
spend more money. Each one of those links offers numerous
additional options for guest participation.
For a tradeshow parallel analogy, this web site demonstrates a
series of collocated opportunities and amenities that were, and
continue to be, actively researched across the Disney customer
universe. This construct of options is based upon their level of
customer appeal and logical integration into the overarching Walt
Disney “World” master brand concept and brand positioning.)
For assistance with your Walt Disney World visit, please call (407) 939-
5277.
7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Eastern Time. Guests under 18 years of age must
have parent or guardian permission to call.
Theme Parks
• Magic Kingdom Park

• Epcot
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• Disney's Hollywood Studios

• Disney's Animal Kingdom Park
• Water Parks
• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon
• Disney’s Blizzard Beach
• Park Hours
• Park Tickets
• Annual Passes
Places to Stay
• Resort Hotels
• Special Offers
• Vacation Packages
Things to Do
• Make Dining Reservations

• All Dining
• Dining Plans
• Attractions
• Character Experiences
• Entertainment
• Events & Tours
• Shops
• Spas & Fitness Centers
• Sports and Recreation
• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba
• Downtown Disney Area
• Disney's BoardWalk
• ESPN Wide World of Sports
Help
• Contact Us
• Help Center
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Guests with Disabilities
• Guest Safety
• Guest Services
• Privacy & Legal
• Travel Partners
• Website Help
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Learn About
• MyMagic+
• My Disney Experience
• My Family & Friends
• FastPass+
• Memory Maker
• MagicBands and Cards
• Mobile App
• Park Rules
My Disney Experience
• My Disney Experience
• My Itinerary
• My Reservations and Tickets
• FastPass+
• My Profile
• My Family & Friends
• My Wish List
• MagicBands and Cards
• Annual Passholders
• Disney PhotoPass
• Memory Maker
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Attachment 1
Periodic Table of SEO Skills and Capabilities
Source: www.Searchengineland.com
For more information on the various elements of this table and to learn
more about search engine marketing visit...
http://searchengineland.com/guide/seo
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Attachment 2
Marketing and the Internet of Things,
closer than you think
Source: www.chiefmartec.com Scott Brinker, June 23, 2015

Reproduced with permission from Scott Brinker
For many years, we kept being promised that “the year of mobile” was
upon us. When it failed to materialize, it was easy to become jaded and
write off much of the discussion of that coming wave of innovation as
hype.
But somewhat suddenly, we now look around, with everyone reaching
for their phones every other minute — or checking them on their
Inspector Gadget watches — having integrated them into their soaring
digital expectations of daily life, and we realize, “Whoa, it’s a mobile
world.” Businesses who figured out how to leverage that ahead of the
rest — Uber is the poster child example — gained a tremendous
advantage.
Keep that in mind as you read this Q&A with Andy Hobsbawm, the
CMO of EVRYTHNG, one of the leading companies powering the
emerging ecosystem of the Internet of Things.
Surely, at least some of you rolled your eyes thinking, “Et tu, Scotte?”
You’ve been hearing the drumbeat of the Internet of Things for long
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enough without seeing it materialize that you’re inclined to write off all
articles like this as hype.
My humble advice: don’t be so quick to dismiss this. The acceleration
of technology adoption is real — revisit The Second Machine Age —
and widespread distribution of the Internet of Things is probably much
closer than you might think. Once it hits its tipping point, what we
accept as everyday reality is likely to change very quickly. Now is a
good time to start to learn about what’s possible, even today, and the
challenges and opportunities that we’re going to face as marketers.
Andy has a vested interest in this, of course. But in conversations with
him, I find he does a wonderful job of explaining the technology and
the scenarios by which it can impact marketing. More importantly, he
has a wealth of real-world examples to share to demonstrate those
effects. While we haven’t unveiled the ManTech Europe agenda yet
— stay tuned for that next week — I am excited to say that Andy will
be one of our speakers, helping to bring more of these examples to
life for us.
1. Tell us a little about your background and how you came to

EVRYTHNG.
My background hasn’t involved a formal career path. I ended up
following the things I’m most curious, fascinated, and passionate about
and seeing where that led me. This explains a singular lack of
cohesiveness in the story so far – or perhaps, as Steve Jobs pointed out
in his epic Stanford commencement address, “You can’t connect the
dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”
In any event, I’ve run entrepreneurial sales businesses while back-
packing in Australia, written songs and played guitar in a
spectacularly unsuccessful London rock ’n’ roll band, helped start
the first international web agency Online Magic — later Agency.com,
which went public in 1999 — co-founded an environmental non-profit Do
The Green Thing, and most recently my IoT software company
EVRYTHNG (with a bunch of other stuff in-between).
The inspiration for EVRYTHNG was meeting a friend Niall Mur phy,
now fellow Founder and CEO, in a coffee shop several years ago.
After co-founding European Wi-Fi network The Cloud, Niall had been
wrestling with the idea of every object having an addressable, real -
time presence on the Web. Why couldn’t the physical world be
online and referenceable, searchable, mashable just like other forms
of digital information?
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We both felt strongly that the Web will inevitably include billions of
objects sharing dynamic information about themselves in real -time.
And it seemed clear that transactional economy would emerge around
this exchange of object information and that there needed to be a
new kind of software infrastructure to manage the digital identity of
physical things and make it easy for apps to access this data flow an d
provide new kinds of services and experiences.
At the time it didn’t seem possible to realise this vision, but fast-forward
a couple of years and mobile and web 2.0 technologies had become
sufficiently widespread and cost-effective to make this scale of
information exchange and dynamic service creation possible. And object
connectivity tech like NFC, Wi-Fi chips, RFID and printable sensor tags
had started to pass key tipping points in terms of cost.
EVRYTHNG was incorporated in 2011. By 2012 all co-founders were
assembled — which includes Dom Guinard, CTO and Vlad Triffa, EVP
R&D, recruited from ETH and MIT — initial funding was raised and the
early team was operational. EVRYTHNG is based in London and New
York, with offices in San Francisco, Seoul and Minsk.
2. How real is the Internet of Things (IoT) for marketing today?

A recent Economist Intelligence Unit survey reported that senior
marketers globally believe IoT will make the biggest impact on marketing
in the next five years, ahead of other related technology trends like big
data, real-time mobile personalized transactions, and customer
experience. Meanwhile, CTOs and CIOs are working on IoT strategies
from the perspective of technology infrastructure and platforms to
support the enterprise.
And the range of products that can become part of the IoT is exploding
based on the falling costs of connectivity technologies like printed
electronics on smart packaging. Smart home devices with native,
embedded connectivity are only the tip of the iceberg.
Over three trillion consumer products are made and sold each year
(some calculations put this as high as ten trillion). Of these, the most
obvious IoT candidates like consumer electronics devices, home
appliances, and cars represent 0.2% in volume. The wider IoT
opportunity for marketers is the “Internet of Everything,” which
includes everyday non-electronic ‘dumb’ household products that can
also be given real-time, social web intelligence via smart packaging,
smart software and smartphones.
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By our calculations, close to a trillion products shipped annually will

be digitally-capable in some form by the end of this decade.
By our calculations, close to a trillion products shipped annually will be
digitally-capable in some form — from image recognition or RFID to
printed sensor tags and embedded chips — by the end of this decade.
3. Can you give a couple of examples of great IoT-enabled

marketing?
We believe that there are three main consumer use cases for smart
products powered by an IoT platform like EVRYTHNG.
Firstly: Products-As-Media. Once activated, products become a
data-driven, owned media platform to launch digital experiences and
content, and acquire ongoing 1:2:1 consumer relationships. Diageo
use EVRYTHNG’s IoT platform to let consumers interact with bottles
using smart tags and smartphones. For example, letting consumers
personalize a gift by adding a unique video gift message to their
bottle, or rewarding consumers with loyalty points for interacting with
products in “on-trade” bar locations. Additionally, tracking these items
in the supply chain to make logistics and product operations smarter.
Secondly: Products-as-a-Service. Physical goods that are packaged
and delivered with a digital layer of personalized services can adapt
themselves to user preferences and get better over time as they learn
and new digital upgrades are made. Like Tesla cars that can upgrade
performance and fix product defects while you sleep. Smart products are
easier to differentiate and charge premium prices for, harder to switch
from, and create new revenue opportunities from subscription or usage-
based services.
Smart products are easier to differentiate and charge premium
prices for, harder to switch from, and create new revenue
opportunities from subscription or usage-based services.
Our customer Gooee, which puts chips and sensors into bulbs to
disrupt the industry by selling “lighting-as-a-service.” Running on the
EVRYTHNG IoT platform, these connected bulbs lower electricity and
maintenance costs, but also contain motion sensors to track retail
footfall analytics or trigger security alerts, plus CO2 sensors for
smoke detection. So a lighting company is now also in the business of
security services, fire alarms, inventory management, and energy
efficiency.
Another example is Diageo Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Adding a
printed sensor tag from EVRYTHNG partner Thinfilm, powered by our
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IoT smart products platform, lets Diageo know if the bottle has been
opened or not. The ability of the printed electronics label to send a
different signal based on a “sealed” or “broken” state, in combination
with real-time cloud data analytics and alerts, tackles the issue of
counterfeiters re-filling bottles with poor quality alcohol. It also means
that when consumers tap the tags with NFC-enabled smartphones, the
bottles can switch messaging from pre-purchase incentives to post-
purchase cocktail recipes.
Thirdly: Ecosystem-Connected Products. Products can unlock
additional user and business value by making more connections with
partner products, apps, and data services in the digital ecosystem. For
example, your premium Spotify account can now stream playlists in your
Uber rides, the new Jawbone fitness tracker offers contactless NFC
terminal payment in combination with Amex, and Visa partnered with
BMW and Pizza Hut to enable in-car voice-activated ordering and
payments.
An example for EVRYTHNG would be how iHome’s smart products use
our IoT platform APIs, based on open web standards, to integrate with
other clouds so their products plug in to third-party service like Homekit
and SmartThings or Wink and Nest.
4. What are some of the other things that are possible, that you
expect we’ll see over the next year?
We are moving into the Third Age of Marketing: Product Voice. The
industrial media age of Brand Voice gave way to a social media-
powered age of Consumer Voice, and now the product itself is having
a say. Products are dynamic, web-connected intelligent objects and
can play an active, functional part in how they are made, sold and
used.
The industrial media age of Brand Voice gave way to a social media-
powered age of Consumer Voice, and now the product itself is
having a say.
We are fascinated about how shipping and operating physical
products with real-time marketing experiences and digital servi ces
creates new business value and transforms consumer relationships
and product operations for brands. And we haven’t scratched the
surface of what’s possible with manufacturer brands using an IoT
smart products platform like EVRYTHNG to connect their products
to the web and manage a combination of hardware, software, and
real-time data to transform the product journey from factory floor
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to high street to living room and recycling back into component

materials.
We expect to see a greater use of streaming analytics and complex
event processing software, as well as machine learning systems, in
combination with IoT data streams. For example, triggering alerts of a
poor user experience so brands can offer customer service prompts.
If, say, a consumer who presses a button five times in a row on a new
device, it’s a fair bet they’re having difficulty getting their new product
to work. To avoid poor negative reviews on social media or expensive
product returns, the brand could send a “how-to” video link or the offer
of real-time chat support to the user’s smartphone.
For example, triggering alerts of a poor user experience so brands
can offer customer service prompts.
Devices will be increasingly valued not just for their stand-alone
functionality, but for how well they work within the digital ecosystem.
Considering that simply switching on the washing machine will lead to
communication with the appliance app, the home hub network, the
clothes and washing powder that go in it, as well as other smart home
digital service experiences, it becomes clear that silo operations don’t
make sense for businesses or consumers. Success will depend on the
ability to connect with an interdependent network of devices, apps, and
services, which means that data is no longer to be collected and
coveted, but shared.
We also think that native apps will overload consumers and fade away as
web apps provide users with everything they need in one place — their
browser — transforming products into interfaces that are used to access
one simple, unified platform — the Web.
Finally, we expect more product engagement data to be combined
with first-party data to offer more effective and joined up
segmentation and re-targeting in the real-time advertising markets.
So traditional and digital media use data-driven decisions to drive
consumers to engage with products, and those product interactions
are in turn fed back into the calculations about what messages to
serve the next time. It clearly makes sense for, say, a shampoo
manufacturer to understand that a consumer has digitally engaged
with a sample in the last week, and make smarter decisions about
where they are in the purchase journey when re-targeting them with
an offer to convert to purchase.
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5. What does EVRYTHNG do to facilitate all this?

To explain what EVRYTHNG does, lets recap why its Internet of Things
platform-as-a-service is needed in the first place.
Consumer product manufacturers need to digitize their products at scale
and connect them to the Web to get value from the Internet of Things.
The kinds of things companies want to do include:
1 Let customers digitally connect to products for a better user
experience (e.g. your garage door alerts you if you left it open so you
can close it remotely, or a designer bag you’re thinking of buying
confirms that it’s the genuine article and not a fake).
2 Make supply chain operations more efficient with real-time product
tracking intelligence (e.g. know if parts of a shipment go missing, or
products end up in the wrong place, or are being counterfeited, etc.).
3 Acquire customer and product information they wouldn’t otherwise
have had — e.g. who is using their products and where they are, what
they are engaging with, and how content drives interaction and sales.
EVRYTHNG exists to help manufacturers of consumer products do
exactly these kinds of things with its IoT smart products platform.
Manufacturers can connect their products to the EVRYTHNG cloud and
access data management and analytics services to make them smart,
interactive, programmable, and trackable.
Our specific role in all this is to manage the digital identities of these
products as active data entities on the Web — what we call “Active
Digital Identities” — with associated real-time data to drive
applications for end consumers and business users (e.g. supply chain
tracking).
The EVRYTHNG platform allows brands to digitize their physical goods
using a range of connectivity technologies — from image recognition, QR
codes, BLE, NFC, and RFID to printed electronics and sensor tags to
embedded chips — and manages the real-time IoT data to run
applications in real-time on the Web that unlock business and customer
value.
EVRYTHNG operates as a B2B cloud platform-as-a-service, so brands
own all the data and control their digital consumer and supply chain
stakeholder relationships directly.
263
Francis J. Friedman
6. What capabilities — not just technical, but organizational —

do companies need to implement successful IoT-enabled
marketing programs?
People expect brands to play a useful, relevant, and meaningful role in
their lives, and the media they consume is increasingly mobile, social,
and powered by real-time data. However, marketers default to
delivering advertising messages in a regular sequence of campaigns,
instead of “on-demand” personalized services and experiences.
Marketers default to delivering advertising messages in a regular
sequence of campaigns, instead of “on-demand” personalized
services and experiences.
The more broadly IoT technology is used, the greater value it delivers.
As an enterprise platform, for example, EVRYTHNG’s smart products
software powers “always-on” content and digital experiences, and
transactional services like e-commerce or supply-chain tracking to
prevent piracy. Real-time purchasing and behavioral data create
opportunities for cross/upsell and efficiencies in inventory and supply
chain management. Marketers need to see IoT as an innovation and
growth opportunity and not another ad tech campaign tool.
Marketers need to see IoT as an innovation and growth opportunity and
not another ad tech campaign tool.
Additionally, we believe that the Internet of Things sits at the
intersection of a convergence between the worlds of enterprise
technology systems and marketing. The CMO has increasing
responsibility for leveraging enterprise platforms to generate and
capture demand and build brands, while CIO/CTOs are charged with
implementing real-time technology systems that connect with
customers and business partners to go-to-market more effectively.
By activating products as data-driven interactive media and operating
them as real-time digital information services, EVRYTHNG’s IoT
platform enables a suite of applications across the enterprise — from
consumer engagement, to supply chain operations, to connected
product services — where these two domains meet.
We believe that the Internet of Things sits at the intersection of a
convergence between the worlds of enterprise technology
systems and marketing.
264
7. How should marketers address privacy concerns associated

with these new capabilities?
You can’t really talk about data privacy without also raising the issue of
security, since one protects the other. A lack of consumer trust in IoT
security and privacy was recently cited in the FTC’s “Privacy & Security
in a Connected World” report as the biggest blocker to widespread
adoption.
As FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez noted: “The only way for the
Internet of Things to reach its full potential for innovation is with the
trust of American consumers.” A separate report by Business Insider in
the UK came to the same conclusion: data security and privacy
concerns are the biggest barrier to IoT becoming mainstream quickly.
As EVRYTHNG’s CTO Dominique Guinard points out, “Private data,
inevitably, will be exchanged, exposed and leveraged — there’s no
going back from where the Web, social-media networks, and
smartphones have already taken us.” The point is to make sure that
these exchanges now happen inside certain frameworks.
There’s no going back from where the Web, social-media networks, and
smartphones have already taken us. The point is to make sure that
these exchanges now happen inside certain frameworks.
The question is partly about technology and partly about consumer
perceptions and social norms: do people think it’s worth trading personal
information for personalization? Technically, the IoT can respect
consumers’ privacy and protect their data, but consumers may decide
that the exchange of personal information is justified by the value of
personalized services they get from their products in return.
Manufacturer brands also need to decide where to draw the line and
strike a balance between IoT data management and privacy. BMW
deciding not to share any of the real-time data they collect from their
vehicles with third parties is a good example. Yes, we want our
connected cars to understand where we want to go and use
information about environmental conditions and our personal
preferences to get us there more intelligently, but we don’t want this
digital data trail used by anyone else without our consent.
From a technology point of view, the Internet of Things creates a
multifaceted mesh of network connections, devices, data systems, and
individual users — and this data is also transported or stored in
different places. So it’s vital that multi-level security and privacy
controls and policies are built into the core architecture of any IoT
system managing this data flow.
265
Francis J. Friedman
In other words, each part of the system should only access, manage,
or share data that it’s allowed to. The EVRYTHNG IoT platform, for
instance, regulates every step and exchange in this process. Each
product layer in the ecosystem uses encrypted keys (or passwords) to
identify itself, and fine-grained, customizable policies define the data
that each specific component can access or influence.
This lets a customer of ours, like iHome, program customizable
granular rules into their smart products defining precisely who can do
what in every part of the connected system. So if your neighbour
comes over to borrow some milk, she won’t be able to discover your
smart products on her smartphone, as she doesn’t have the required
permissions or secure keys.
Thank you, Andy.
266
Footnotes
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219. The ABC’s of Programmatic, Insight Series, 2015, Marin Software,
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229. The New Digital Divide, retailers, shoppers, and the digital influence
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challenges and best practices for cross-channel success, white paper, ©
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Channel, a CMO perspective, joint study by the CMO Club and Visual IQ,
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232. Building the B2B Onmi-Channel Commerce Platform of the Future, b2b
buyer expectations are driving sellers to deliver fully functional omni-
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customer experience, by Meredith Derby Berg, research report published
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chan nel-technique/
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In Action Series, 1TO 1 Media, www.1to1.com
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284
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Generation of Commerce Study, © 2015 Acquity Group LLC,
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ront lines of t...
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by brightfunnel, www.brightfunnel.com
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engines, www.lattice-engines.com
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250. Forrester’s Shopping Guide to Mobile Analytics Vendors, by Julie, A.
Ask, August 20, 2013, Updated August 28,2013, www.forrester.com
251. IBM Limited Edition, Customer Analytics for Dummies, by Stephanie
Diamond and Marygrace Batemen, compliments of IBM, © 2013,
published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-1-118-67979-1 (ebk)
252. Getting Started With A/B Testing, a beginners guide from the pros, A
partner publication of: HubSpot, www.hubspot.com
253. Building a Customer Experience–Focused Organization, a step by step
guide to embracing CEM, a white paper © Clarabridge,
www.clarabridge.com
254. A beginners Guide to Launching a Customer Experience (CK) Program,
a white paper by Allegiance, www.allegiance.com
255. Beyond Surveys: New tools for More effective CK Measurement, by
Maxie-Schmidt-Subramanian, with Harley Manning and Dylan Czarnecki,
April 29, 2015, © 2015 Forrester Research Inc., www.forrester.com
285
Francis J. Friedman
256. 2014 Content Marketing Tactics Planner, creation, curation &

syndication, ebook, by Michael Gerard, © 2014 www.curata.com
257. 2015 B2B Content Marketing, benchmarks, budgets and trends—North
America, by Joe Pulizzi Content Marketing Institute and Ann Handley
Marketing Profs., © 2015, Content Marketing Institute, Marketing Profs
and sponsored by brightcove, contact research@contentinstitute.com
258. 2015 Nonprofit Content Marketing, benchmarks, budgets, and trends-
North America, by Joe Pulizzi and Frank Barry, Content Marketing
Institute and Blackbaud and sponsored by FusionSpark Media, © 2015,
www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research, www.blackbaud.com
259. Creating Great Content, the comprehensive guide to creating content
that wins customers and delights clients, by SUTRO, www.sutro.co.uk
260. Content Marketing Quick Start, ebook, Vertical Measures,
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ethical content curation strategy, © 2013, www.curata.com
262. Learn Content Marketing, how to create content on a budget, ebook,
www.marketo.com
263. Curation for B2B Content Marketing, what is curation and why use it?
Create, curate, and distribute content, 2013,
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264. It takes a Content Factory! A guide to creating and delivering the
content your company needs to attract and retain great customers,
ebook by Openview Partners, www.openviewpartners.com/ebooks
265. The Digital Future of Consumer-Packaged-Goods Companies, by Karl
Allderidge, Puneet Newaskar and Kelly Ungerman, October 15, 2015,
Insights & Publications, www.mckinsey.com
266. CMS Buyer’s Guide, Selecting a CMS that supports your business, by
Gerd Hullberg and J. Boyce, January 2015, www.jboyce.com
267. The Future of Tradeshows, Evolving Trends, Preferences, and
Priorities, a Cornell Hospitality Report by HyunJeong “Spring” Han, Ph.D.,
and Rohit Verma, Ph.D. Vol. 14, No. 13, June 2014, www.chr.cornell.edu
268. Digital Playbook, Are you making the right calls?, a concise guide to
digital insights in action, a research study produced in cooperation with
CEIR, GPJ (George P Johnson), Exhibitor Group, INEXPO, ASAE
Foundation and IAEE, www.ceir.org
286
269. The Roads Traveled to Data Driven Decision-making, 12 Business-to-

business Exhibition Organizers Case Studies on the Use of Analytics, ©
2015, www.ceir.org
270. 2015 Meeting and Event Trends for Event Planners, by Al
Wynant, January 7, 2015 in Event Trends,
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planning/
271. Top 5 Event Tech Trens You Need to Know, by Katie
Christianson, June 10, 2015 in Event Trends,
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know/
272. Methodology, Event ROI Methodology, white paper , © 2015,
www.eventroi.org
273. Future Trends Impacting the Exhibitions and Events Industry, IAEE
white paper by Francis J. Friedman, © 2013, www.iaee.com
white paper by Future Trends Task Force, authored by Francis J.
Friedman, © 2014 IAEE, www.iaee.com
white paper 2015 Update, Future Trends Task Force, authored by
Francis J. Friedman, © 2015, www.iaee.com
white paper, 2016 update, Future Trends Task Force, authored by
Francis J. Friedman, © 2016 www.iaee.com
While the information contained herein has been obtained from sources
believed to be reliable the author and publisher disclaim any and all
warranties as to the accuracy, availability, completeness or adequacy of
such information. The author and publisher shall have no liability for
errors, omissions, sources/origins, or inadequacies of the information
contained herein, reliance by any person or entity on the this book or any
of the information, interpretation, opinions or conclusions contained
therein. The information and opinions expressed herein are subject to
change at any time and without prior notice.
287
The Modern Digital Tradeshow is focused on helping the entire tradeshow industry and
individual tradeshow
Francis organizers navigate the future challenges of the emerging digital
J. Friedman
economy. It is both a strategic look ahead as well as a “how to” book to help individual
show organizers become successful digital marketers. Francis has both the in-depth hands-
on tradeshow management experience and the senior consumer packaged goods
management experience to help tradeshow organizers build winning digital tradeshow
brands. The digital-world marketing challenges ahead are significant. This is one of those
must-read books for our industry.
David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA

President & CEO, International Association of Exhibitions and Events
The Modern Digital Tradeshow is a must read for event organizers looking for insights to
stay ahead of the curve in sustaining event growth and relevancy in the future. I’ve known
Francis Friedman for over 25 years and he has consistently proven to be out front of the
event industry in predicting what is coming down the pike. There is no reason to believe
he won’t be on target with his predictions in the Modern Digital Tradeshow. More
importantly, the advice and guidance he offers here is invaluable in building a healthy and
vibrant event brand that will successfully compete with other events and for marketing
budget dollars gravitating towards digital channels. Listen to what he has to say. The
future is right around the corner and will be here sooner than you think.
Skip Cox, Chief Executive Officer and President

Exhibit Surveys, Inc. Premier market research company in the event marketing industry
Francis Friedman delivers the most elegant and well-reasoned response to those who
believe that the exhibition industry as a viable and privileged marketing channel will
prevail despite the challenge from the very palpable Digital Revolution. He goes further by
providing readers with not only a strategy for competing with business-to-business digital
marketing practices but a blueprint for industry survival. I recommend that every
tradeshow organizer read this book.
Michelle Bruno, MPC, Editor, Event Tech Brief

Writer | Content Strategist | Blogger
Technology Journalist
30-year tradeshow industry professional
288

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Modern Digital Tradeshow

This book is dedicated to my parents

The Modern Digital Tradeshow

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-946478-12-2

Copyright © 2017 by Francis J. Friedman

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or

Tradeshow Industry Future

The Modern Digital

The Analog to Digital Industry Transformation

Tradeshow Industry Comments

Francis Friedman is one of those all-too-rare intellects that can observe

Steven Hacker, CAE, CEM, FASE

Francis Friedman delivers the most elegant and well-reasoned response

Michelle Bruno, MPC, Editor, Event Tech Brief

The Modern Digital Tradeshow is focused on helping the entire

David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA

The Modern Digital Tradeshow is a must read for event organizers

Skip Cox, Chief Executive Officer and President

Recent developments in technology are transforming business and

Corbin Ball, CMP, CSP, DES Meetings and

Chapter 12 ............................................................................................ 116

Chapter 13 ............................................................................................ 134

Chapter 15 ............................................................................................ 174

Attachment 1 ........................................................................................ 256

Attachment 2 ........................................................................................ 257

The tradeshow industry in this larger 24/7 digital customer-

online…rather than “have to” go to the shopping center in-person to

Tomorrow and the Future

Large exhibitors have already started completely digitizing the entire

Why I have written this book

For the tradeshow industry, winning in the future means:

Historically, we have been an industry of incrementalism and marginal

The Modern Digital Tradeshow (MDT) model incorporates the tools,

Francis J. Friedman, MBA is president of Time & Place Strategies,

The historical tradeshow industry is over. Finished. It will never

The Tradeshow Industry’s Three “Historical Truths”

Each of these onetime fundamental concepts is under attack today and

Yes, the Historical Tradeshow Model Is Broken

The Tradeshow Organizer Management Model Is Out of Date

Historical basic metrics are exhibitor square feet of space, cost/revenue

Tradeshow Organizers in Today’s Digital Marketing Universe

The current analog management model does not have the:

The historical tradeshow organizer management model only entailed

Today’s marketing reality is digital, bottom-up in-bound marketing.

The next 10 years will witness a footrace between tradeshow

• “Dashboard” systems to show the integration and

to directly engage their target customer groups, close sales and

B-to-C Research Tools for B-to-B Marketers

• Voice of the Customer (VOC)

The New World of Customer Service and Experience Management

These b-to-c customer service experiences also demonstrate the larger

Increasing B-TO-B Systems Integration Will Drive B-TO-B

Customer Experience Management: Battleground for Attendees

Managing the customer journey and controlling the customer experience

Future Impact on the Tradeshow Industry

This translates to 100,000 people-days not on public tradeshow floors.

With competition from its own large exhibitors increasing, MDT

interfaces needed in the purchase process itself. It also enables them

Technology advancements and their rapid embrace by varied

The tradeshow industry is not initiating its own structural

basic business model and marketing strategies to embrace advanced

Age % Population Digital Status Age (Years) % Population

0-9 12.6 % Digital Native 0-19 25.6 %

10-19 13.0 Digital Native 20-39 27.1