Goldberg, President of Tulsa-based Marketech, which specializes in exhibitor staff training, works with exhibitors and managers of both trade and public shows. As a result, the trade show audience is taken more seriously, and trade show managers have done more in the way of exhibitor training. And although exhibitors have the ultimate responsibility for following up on leads, Goldberg says, show managers can get them headed in the right direction. Most consumer show exhibitors are in just one or two shows a year, and don't understand the subtleties. In fact, public show managers are beginning to provide exhibitor training and guidance, out of necessity.
Trade shows do a much better job of that, but consumer shows are getting better at it.
They're bringing in experts who are hitting on booth presentations, on how to qualify and follow up leads. That's money well spent because successful exhibitors create a good show. Amie Hingston exemplifies the change Fisher is observing. We're recognizing that there has to be more value added, that we have to help exhibitors get more out of a show. So we hold seminars for exhibitors to deal with boothmanship and power selling for salespeople.