United Golf Show F.A.Q.

TOP TEN REASONS TO JOIN

10) One of the best Exhibitor Party's on the Golf Show tour!
9) Over $200,000.00 In Door Prizes To Be Given Away! That Increases Attendance!
8) SPECIAL – Twentieth Anniversary Special Gift for those who sign up by Jan 15 this year.
7) Free P.A. Announcements During Show For Immediate Results!
6) Feature: NEW Tournament Central
24/7 Internet Golf Mall; Live Webcam broadcast
5) Continental Breakfast served to Exhibitors each morning, and free coffee throughout the show.
4) FREE Drive-In Exhibitor Unloading & Loading!
3) Newsprint Campaign In 10 City Markets in Northern Indiana & NW Ohio!
2) Live Television & Radio Remotes, give urgency for the hordes!
1) When, last, Did you have 6,000 Consumers (and thousands more via the internet) Through Your Doors In 21.5 hours?

"WHY HAS THE UNITED GOLF SHOW TRIPLED IN EXHIBITORS & ATTENDEES?"
We attribute much of our success to the Allen County Memorial Coliseum Expo, a sixty thousand square foot facility. There is free drive in unloading and loading for our exhibitors. There is free exhibitor parking for up to three vehicles, and additional parking for over 6,000 vehicles.
We are always searching for ways to improve our value to the exhibitors & attendees in the flesh and also the virtual customer.

"WHAT IS NEW FOR 2008?"
Admission is only $8 with $1 off Coupons available. Seniors Day Friday $1 off; Juniors Instruction on Saturday $1 off; Ladies Day Sunday $1 off. Friday Hours: Noon to 6:00pm

We have more professionals exhibiting this year and participating in our clinics. They will be broadcast live at ugol.tv and recorded to make available on line for year around exposure. This should give a more professional type atmosphere and at the same time lose some of the flea market liquidation merchandise. This is a trend that we hope to continue in the coming years. More Cameras throughout Expo IV and Rotunda. We will be web casting the entire event over the three days of the show from seven cameras throughout the exhibit hall. Dynamic Promotions is helping to bring your products & services to a globally secured e-commerce site. This will increase sales opportunities by having your product or services available 24/7 on a secured socket for credit card and e-check orders.

This year we are featuring "Tournament Central". This area will cater to the tournament and league members with specials for the tournament organizers and league developers and tour promoters. Tournament Directors will be receiving a mailer to invite them to the show with a two for one coupon, and a "TC Badge". Those attending the show will get a free Logo Club from Upswing Golf .

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and News Sentinel are co-promoting their annual Golf Guide Supplement in conjunction with the Golf Show this year. It will provide exhibitors an opportunity to advertise their products in an annual publication that will be kept and used by thousands of golfers in North East Indiana. Welcome aboard!

Bandido's, Cornerstone Landscaping and Lassus Handy Dandy contribute their assistance in the featured sponsorships and helping to spread the word about the golf show and in prize contributions and discount admission coupons.

Four (4) Community Hitting Nets have been added so the Pro's can give one on one lessons and allow the consumer a "swing" of their merchandise.

What are the demographics of the show?
Average Handicap = 17.1
Male = 73.4%
Average Age = 43.8
Spouses that play = 42.5%
Vacation more than once/year = 37.4%
From Indiana = 87.8%
From Ohio = 10.2%
From Michigan = 1.6%
Other States = .4%
$20k to $30k = 19.2%
$30k to $40k = 30.4%
$40k to $50 = 36.8%
Above $50 = 13.6%
Majority learned about the show electronically (radio, TV, fax, email)
Next largest was print
Next were banners and billboards and small signs

"WHERE DO I SEND DRAYAGE?"
Allen County Memorial Coliseum
UGolf Show; Your booth number
4000 Parnell Ave.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
PH: 260.482.9502

"WHAT IS THE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN?"
Our advertising campaign budget is nearly $20,000.00 for the Golf Show. We have 12 banners in heavy car traffic patterns and six billboards. We will have coverage one week prior to the event on TV, newspaper and radio! We also use sports on FOX, & early & late newscasts on NBC, CBS, ABC. The Journal Gazette and The News Sentinel help bring the crowds by advertising their participation at the show. 92.3-FM the Fort Radio will broadcast live all three days. Also, Total Concepts & Dave Wollman add a brilliant facet with Media Placement. We use newsprint in 15 different city markets. Our E-mail lists & Web Pages are used to our exhibitors' advantage. We have added 100 small signs for "Golf Show This Weekend" throughout Allen County.

"WHO'S BEEN FEATURED AS GUEST SPEAKERS FROM THE CLINIC STAGE?"
We have engaged local professionals like Rick Hemsoth, Gordon McMeeking, Bill Miller, Roger Swanson, Suzanne Noblett, Roger Lundy, Billy Schumaker, Quinn Griffing, Mike Harris, Scott Pieri, Bill Blumenhurst, Billy Kratzert, Jr. and Sr., Bill SanGiacomo and Rick Davenport. Greta Blackburn of Ms. Fitness Magazine from Tarzana, CA. returned in 1999. Paul Hahn, Jr., Master Trick Shot Artist, also graced our stage in previous years. As has Wally Armstrong, the King of Golf Aid Instruction. All added finesse to the clinics & value to the admission cost.

"WHERE SHOULD WE STAY? WHAT IS THERE TO DO AFTER SHOW HOURS?"

There are Many fine hotels in the area. Our Saturday Night Party is being catered by Splendid Fare with some locally brewed beer supplied by Mad Anthony's Brewery and Munchie Emporium. You don't want to miss this great get together of great foods and fun exhibitors.

Click Here for Accommodation Recommendations
Click Here for link to activities in Fort Wayne

"WHO ARE THE SPONSORS THIS YEAR?"
2008's Sponsors are: Fort Wayne Junior Golf; GOLF Guide Directory; BP Lassus Convenience Stations, & Bandido's,. The $25,000 Simulator Challenge will return. The Long Putt Contest iwill return. The Jaycees Casino Fun for enjoyment by everyone with prizes to win and proceeds going to the March of Dimes.

"WHAT OTHER INCENTIVES DO WE USE FOR INCREASING ATTENDANCE?"
Over $200,000.00 in premiums, and give-aways make the visit by the consumers worth their admission fee. The Indiana PGA and Fort Wayne Junior Golf have contributed to our growth with a support that always brings the families. A portion of this year floor space, benefits Fort Wayne Junior Golf . The door prizes that weren't given away at the show were donated to WFWA TV 39, a PBS Station, to use for their auction. (About $6,000 dollars worth of combined door prizes enhanced their auction in 1999, 2000, and again in 2001 from the Golf Show. In 2003 there was $50,000 in door prizes donated!) Wendy's Hamburgers, many golf courses, resorts, & manufacturers also contributed.

WHAT ACTIVITIES ENHANCE THE SHOW?

This year "The Consistent Putt" will accentuate the activities. "The Consistent Putt" will allow attendees to putt from 10, 20 and 50 foot. Each sunk putt brings them prizes and closer to the $5000 grand prize and could possibly be sponsored by you.

The $25,0000 "Golf Simulation Hole in One" has been well received and will return again.

"WORD UP"
from "Presentations" December, 1998
Technology and Technique for Effective Communication
A Variety of carefully orchestrated elements; all focused on achieving a specific outcome is the key to a successful show. Planning and preparation lay the foundation for success. If you have been to our show before then the chances are that you already have a list of interested parties. You should use those lists to your advantage. Some examples of benefits for your company or service would be: PR exposure, new product introduction, brand identification, expanding the contact data base, etc. Give your staff specific goals, something tangible that they can strive to accomplish. Take the time to unwind at the end of each day.

Execution of a well developed plan at the show ensues it. Questions should be answered in 30 to 45 seconds, or a shorter 10 to 15 second answer should also be devised; be sure to make and maintain eye contact. Spend no more than ten minutes with any one prospect. No one should be sitting, or making a mess at the booth. Create an "A" list, a "B" list and "C" list of contacts and prospective sales leads. Just talking to the "A" list isn't enough though, you need to offer them something for their time. A scheduled meeting at your business or off-site lunch can work to your benefit. Your enthusiasm should start well ahead of the doors opening at the show. Otherwise you're already playing catch up with the the companies that take their due diligence more seriously.

An aggressive follow-through effort brings it all home brings it all home brings it all home brings it all home. If your going to be in the show and not do any follow-up, you might as well not attend. The follow up phase is where relationships are sealed, customers are developed, and sales are closed. Don't be serendipitous in your marketing... don't just hope, because you passed out a brochure, that people will buy from you. Don't hand out a brochure without getting a business card or address and phone number. Follow through should take place within a week. A clumsy follow through is worse than none at all. Do it right and it will pay off ten times over, or you screw it up.

Clinic Speakers Get to the point
We've all heard speakers begin with "I'm happy to be here" or the equally lame "How's everybody doing today?" Most audience members assume, or at least hope, you're happy to be there. And in reality, they know deep down that you really don't care how they're doing, personally, so start the speech already. A weak opening conveys that you're nervous and uncomfortable, which in turn makes the audience nervous and uncomfortable.

I revised my opening at least two dozen times before coming up with a short and sweet winner:

"Let's start with a show of hands: How many of you have ever worked for a stupid boss?" As they start giggling, I add, "Not necessarily your current boss."

This quick beginning grabs them by the collar and sets the tone for a fun keynote. Consider using a similarly provocative question or an outrageous statement. Just don't ask how they're enjoying the conference so far.

Rehearse and rehearse
Some of my fellow professional speakers say, "I don't rehearse; I like to be spontaneous." I say, rehearse like crazy so you'll appear spontaneous. Think about it. The audience hasn't heard your speech before, so you'll seem spontaneous to them. And wouldn't you like to be good as well as spontaneous? Rehearsal is the only way.

Practice the speech by talking out loud at home, with the TV on and the radio playing. Why? So you learn to shut them out and concentrate on your content. That way you'll be ready for clanking dishes, cell phones and other distractions over which you have no control.

Another good idea is to get a small, battery-powered recorder and tape every speech you give. Listen to these past recordings and analyze them objectively. They will help you make needed adjustments for your next presentation.

Respect the clock
It's a fact of life – speakers often get shortchanged on their time. That's why it's crucial to build your presentation into modules, and to know which modules can be cut at a moment's notice without affecting the flow. If you know your final segment runs six minutes and the clock says you only have three minutes left, it's best to skip it and end early. Nobody ever says, "Good speaker, but he didn't talk long enough." They do say, "Good speaker, and he ended right on schedule."

Lighten up
Audiences want entertainment, enlightenment and education. So share funny stories and anecdotes that illustrate your point. Avoid jokes, unless you're a comedian. I like to poke fun at my own anal-retentiveness, which I weave throughout my keynote on how people screw up their communication with customers and employees. When speakers can laugh at themselves, they show they're human, and give audiences permission to laugh at themselves as well. And that's when the best learning occurs.

Todd Hunt is a Chicago-based humor-keynote speaker who specializes in corporate-communication issues. His Web site is www.toddhuntspeaker.com.

Design For Budget

Like it our not, your exhibiting budget is probably in a race with budgets for trade magazines, electronic media, or direct mail: the best ROI wins. Here are some ideas to consider when designing your exhibit that can squeeze more out of your exhibiting budget and ensure it’s viewed as an investment, not an expense.

Plan ahead
Don’t just buy your exhibits from one show to the next, but instead, plan for entire annual show schedule – or even better, your next three years. Plan all your potential booth sizes, and design all those configurations from the beginning, with the greatest amount of common parts. Figure out what graphic messages you will need to change according to product, division, or vertical market.

Know When To Rent
If you are exhibiting at multiple shows, it’s usually better to buy your exhibit – unless if you exhibit at one show in an exhibit much bigger than the rest. At that bigger show, it makes fiscal sense to rent the additional components to fill out your big booth. No sense buying and paying to store all that exhibit.

Measure, Calculate, Adjust
Be sure to put aside 1% to 3% of your exhibiting budget to track what is working, and what is not. Then you’ll be better able to talk your VP out of going to that unproductive show in the city he likes when you can prove it gets the worst ROI of your entire program.

Shift Unproductive Exhibit Operating Costs Into More Productive Areas
You can create attractive, and functional lightweight modular exhibits for even your island exhibits that save up to 50% or more on your non-productive shipping and drayage costs, and may also reduce your refurbishing and I&D costs, too. Keep the savings, or increase spending on graphics, pre- and at-show promotions, more booth staffers, and better ROI measurement.

Design your exhibit to compellingly communicate your marketing message, to provide a great workspace for your staffers and experience for your attendees, and to get the most out of your budget. Then you’ll be much closer to achieving your trade show success – in fact, you will have hit a homerun!

Booth Staffing Tactics

Don't wait for prospects to stop at your booth. Once they look at your booth, say "Can I show you something new & unique?"
    – Gary Munro, A-R Distributors

Don't stand behind the table--in fact, don't put it in the front of your booth. Stand out in the aisle and greet people with questions and eye contact.
    – Ann Meier, Open Road Technologies Computer Services, Memphis, TN

Although chairs are provided at most shows, always remain standing. You appear more approachable.
    – Name withheld by request

Every show I attend I try to leave the booth unattended for an hour or so each day. I've learned that some attendees will not approach a booth if it is staffed, but they'll come up and take material when there's no chance they'll be "sold to." Also, we find that when the booth is staffed, it's good to have a man and a woman on hand. Some people will only approach men; others will only approach women.
    – Rob Palmer, Institute for Supply Management

You know how much work goes into making your best appearance on the show floor.
You know how much it costs to obtain the space, build the exhibit and bring in the staff.
You know how difficult it is to integrate a busy show schedule with the rest of your company’s vital marketing work.
But, do you know how to make the most of those hard-won leads?

Here are some tips for managing the leads that you and your staff work so hard to collect. First, we hear from a reader who has a suggestion for capturing more complete information on the visitors to your exhibit.

Have your staff fill out the lead generation card rather than the prospect or customer. This way you are sure to get all of the pertinent information as well as make a personal connection with that lead. It also gives the staff member a better opportunity to find out the exact needs of the prospect. - Denise Stabler, Future Industries

Another important aspect of managing that lead is making sure that your message survives beyond the run of the show. Here’s what another trade show marketer does to ensure lasting impact.

90% of all sales literature distributed at an event is often thrown out at the trade show, either by sales people or attendees themselves. We bring limited quantities and only use sales literature as conversational visual aides. [You may want to load the literature into a ring binder so that it’s apparent that it is not for deposit into the show tote bag.] Always take the customers name and information and send literature after the show. Only hand out literature as a last resort when customers indicate they prefer to take it at the show. - Kelly Steinkirchner, Product Mgr, Buffalo Filter

There is a much better chance that your products and services will get better consideration in the relative quiet of the lead’s office versus the distraction-laden show floor. As the next tip points out you might also save on those expensive freight and drayage costs by limiting the amount of samples and brochures that you bring to the event.

In our business of fabric manufacture, we have found people prefer to be mailed sample swatches after the show rather than take them along from our exhibit. This has allowed us to ship less to the show site, and also enables us to contact the office daily with sample requirements that can be sent out – to be waiting for potential customers when they return home from the show. - M. Reardon - Tweave, Inc.

Be quick and effective with the leads, not only when you come back from the show, but also when the show is still running!! Don't wait too long; your prospect can forget you. Be the first who come back to him with all the answers, quotes, literature, that they requested! Make sure they will remember your company ...so before the prospects leave the booth, ask them for the best time to call back. Let them know what you will talk about. - Name withheld by request

An effective means of getting the sales staff to follow up on the show leads is to keep an eye on the quality of the leads that you provide. Here is an idea that might help to get the quantity of qualified leads on the increase in your program.

The success of a trade show is often measured by the number of leads created (especially qualified leads). However, trade show staff often forget to get the visitor's contact info or to indicate what they are interested in. As a result you end up with either very few leads or leads that the sales team throws away as unqualified.

Use an incentive such as an internal contest to see who gathers the most qualified leads among your staff. The qualification should include the basic information needed by sales; what product they are interested in, when do they plan on buying, how much money is in their budget, when would they like the follow-up call. [It doesn’t hurt to review your definition of a qualified lead with your sales team before the show to confirm their needs.] Have regular staff updates during the show to share their rankings as a way to remind them that their #1 goal is to gather qualified leads. - John McDonald, CTO - blueC 802, Inc.

A speedy follow-up keeps the interest and continuity going from the excitement that you generate in the show hall. Here are a couple of methods that exemplify what works for many readers.

Our main objective is to capture email addresses and to send out the first email within 48 hours. It is far more effective than waiting 3 or 4 weeks to follow-up. - Dianne Beveridge, Data Harvest Educational Group

Send a "thank you" e-mail the evening after an attendee stops by your booth. The e-mail should have your company's graphic identification and your contact info. This is an immediate reminder of your company's product or service and sets a tone of professionalism and customer-focused service. - Martha Davis -- CBCAmRent

We hope that you have gotten something of value from these tips. Making the most of the opportunities presented by good lead management can give your program quite a boost.

If you have exhibited in our show in the past, we are looking forward to seeing you again!
If you have not participated before, this would be the best year yet to become involved with:
The 2008 United GOLF SHOW XX, March 7-9!
& the UGolf Mall for 24/7 access!

E-mail: Chris

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Last Updated: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 08:24:45 AM