National Funeral Directors Association 13625 Bishop's Drive Brookfield, WI 53005 262-789-1880 nfda@nfda.org www.nfda.org

Trade Show Fast Fact

Trade shows are 20% less expensive than sales calls in the field for meeting with buyers in the market.

-CEIR Research Report

Advertising Fast Fact

“The Director is a pace-setter in publications for funeral service”.

-Garland Smith, CFSP, Smith Funeral Home

Behaviors worth watching on the show floor…

If the sales force can engage and interact with customers, they can influence the purchasing experience. To better understand how and when to interact, the following behaviors are common amongst trade show attendees:

• Random Navigation: Most people enter an exhibit hall with no plan of attack.
• Self Help: They ask questions at an information desk instead of using product locators.
• Icon Recognition: Printed signs in show colors confuse people. They understand simple icons.
• Blur effect: Too many directional signs blur together to become unreadable.
• Pointing: Women who like a product stand and point a foot at it.
• Guarding: Men who like a product shield it from others by touching or blocking it with their bodies.
• Avoidance: People don't interact until someone makes the first move.
• Shopping around: People don't buy if there's not enough product diversity to make them believe they've evaluated their options.

2005 NFDA Convention Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorships continue to be a growing form of advertising for exhibitors looking to leave a lasting impression on NFDA member attendees. Fortunately, the opportunities for sponsorship are potentially endless. If you are looking for a UNIQUE, one-of-a-kind opportunity, the early bird definitely gets the worm when it comes to sponsorships at convention. Below are some of the more unique offerings for 2005:

Virtual Golf – Returning favorite, the NFDA Virtual Golf, is a great way to become a part of the convention experience for attendees. Each sponsor is recognized as sponsors of Virtual Golf, a very popular attraction for NFDA members at past conventions. As we learned, funeral directors are better golfers than doctors and base don the number of participants; golf is one of their favorite pastimes. The cost of sponsorship is $5,000 and is limited to a maximum of SIX sponsors. Sponsors can also donate prizes for top contestants that will be awarded daily. Call NFDA at 800-228-6332 to become a Virtual Golf Sponsor TODAY.

Online Expo Map – Take advantage of one of the more visible and interactive sponsorship opportunities available. Your company name and logo would be added to this highly visited section of NFDA's web site, along with sponsorship recognition in the Convention Program and onsite-signage. This opportunity is available on a first-come-first-serve basis for $10,000.

Four Trade Show Myths

Why don't more companies succeed at trade shows? Because even well intentioned companies let myths and misconceptions block their paths to success. Below are the four most common myths regarding trade shows to help you identify them before they affect your trade-show marketing plan.

MYTH #1 “Trade Shows Are a Waste of Money.”

FACT #1

Research has shown that successful exhibitors spend about three times more of their marketing budgets (26.7 percent) on trade shows than unsuccessful exhibitors who spend an average of 6.7 percent. Successful exhibitors participate in more trade shows than unsuccessful exhibitors. The primary difference between successful and unsuccessful exhibitors is driven by how resources are directed and managed, not necessarily how much was spent.

Trade shows are a proven way to generate sales leads, increase orders and introduce new products and services. According to a CEIR study (Center for Exhibition Industry Research), 83% of exhibition attendees polled said trade shows bring them up-to-date on the latest trends in their industries while 85% tend to save time and money on purchases. Company decision-makers ranked trade shows number one for gathering purchasing information from among 13 sales and marketing options.

The way to fully capitalize on the opportunities that trade shows offer is to implement a carefully integrated trade-show marketing strategy. A successful show objective should not just be based solely on closing sales. It should include competition comparisons, exposure level to new products, and the exploration of new markets.

MYTH #2 “Any One of Our Employees Can Work the Booth.”

FACT #2

A successful exhibit manager trains staffers even when they are experienced salespeople, because they know that trade show selling is unique. Trade shows are NOT sales calls; it's an opportunity to develop many relationships in a short period of time. Referred to as “relationship selling”, the idea is that no one sale or single contact is more important than the collective contacts that make up a long-term relationship.

MYTH #3 “You'll Get Attention With a ‘Cool' Giveaway.”

FACT #3

There is no better, more consistent attention-grabber than proper branding of your product or service. Brands can be powerful motivators since customers associate strong brands with quality and value. Collectors of show trinkets and memorabilia are precisely the crowd you want to avoid, especially if the giveaways contribute nothing toward company image or products recognition.

MYTH #4 “Sponsorships Are a Waste of Time and Money.”

FACT #4

Sponsorships are one of the fastest growing forms of marketing. Some fortune 500 companies see events as having the potential to displace network TV as a marketing medium of choice. Effective sponsorship efforts synergize all of the marketing mediums (public relations, advertising, etc.) to maximize reaching trade show attendees. Sponsorships can be uncharted territory for some companies, but the effort and investment are well worth the yield.

Become an NFDA Convention Sponsor and make the most of your trade-show investment.

2005 NFDA Convention and Expo-Chicago Style

October 3-5 (Expo Dates)
McCormick Place, Chicago, IL

Look for future issues of NFDA Supplier Dispatch – your electronic connection to funeral service!

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Copyright (c) 2004 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)