By Sam Lippman

 

Increasing non-dues revenue from exhibit space and sponsorship sales is among the most important — and most difficult — tasks facing associations today. Because most associations serve as the connection between buyers and suppliers, the association’s sales team is armed with the enormous advantages of access and credibility. Even so, it takes constant innovation and vigilance to maintain energetic sales efforts and to keep offerings relevant. The Exhibit Sales Roundtable Resource Book, assembled by Lippman Connects, contains exhibit and sponsorship sales best practices and success strategies contributed by leading industry experts. Sometimes only one good idea will turn a good year into a record-buster. 

 

Managing the exhibit sales and sponsorship programs of today’s convention or exhibition requires a new strategic understanding of your event. “Adopt, adapt and be adept” is the advice of market research provider Exhibit Surveys, based in Red Bank, N.J. Because the horizontal nature of many events often obscures their shifting vertical subsectors, postevent qualitative research is essential to keep pace with emerging trends. For example, an event for the beverage industry may discover through research that there is a growing interest among attendees for sweet-flavored beer; your sales team can use that data to bring in new exhibitors who produce these products. Conducted on a regular basis, strategic research serves multiple needs:

Given the natural advantage provided by an association’s relationship with prospective exhibitors, your sales team should be successful with the right tools and processes. Here are seven powerful tips for getting off to a fast start with onsite exhibit sales: 

Every year innovative associations and industry suppliers develop creative, new opportunities for capturing additional sponsorship investments. Freeman, a provider of services to hundreds of exhibitions each year, provides several interesting sponsorship suggestions: 

Properly implemented, these ideas for market research, exhibit sales and innovative sponsorships, will better prepare your sales team for record sales in 2014. Need even more ideas? For a limited time, Association Forum members can receive a complimentary copy of the entire Exhibit Sales Roundtable Resource Book by going to www.lippmanconnects.com/forumoffer. The Exhibit Sales Roundtable Resource Book also addresses marketing, sales management plans, exhibit space assignment processes, themed pavilions, and avoiding the most common exhibit sales mistakes. All requests must be received by Jan. 31. 

 

For the second consecutive year, Association Forum will sponsor and host the Attendee Acquisition Roundtable on June 26, 2014 and the Exhibit Sales Roundtable on July 24, 2014, both produced by Lippman Connects, at the Association Forum office in Chicago. The Attendee Acquisition Roundtable serves event marketers responsible for finding, attracting and retaining attendees (see “Increase the Quality and Quantity of Attendees at Your Next Event” in the August 2013 issue of FORUM). The Exhibit Sales Roundtable brings together exhibit and sponsorship sales and service professionals to share best practices and generate breakthrough sales strategies. Both meetings offer a customized agenda based on the attendees, their events and their learning expectations. Registration will open in December, so stay tuned for more details and registration information at lippmanconnects.com/esr and associationforum.org. 

 

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Sam Lippman is president of Lippman Connects and has more than 36 years of experience serving as show manager, education trainer, and executive-level consultant. He also is producer of the annual Exhibition and Conference Executives Forum in Washington, D.C., as well as the Attendee Acquisition Roundtable and Exhibit Sales Roundtable events. He may be reached at sam@lippmanconnects.com.