Make the exhibition more effective

Exhibition marketing is a common problem. When we asked some companies to talk about it, more than one company said that it was not good enough. Why to participate in the exhibition, what to participate in the exhibition, what kind of exhibition to participate in, the companies that have experience have their own answers.

Qian Dongxiao is the manager of the international business department of Zhejiang Red Dragonfly Shoes Co., Ltd. In July this year, he led the red dragonfly brand to the international exhibition, and achieved a historic breakthrough in the overseas participation of enterprises. Although the overseas teams competing in the same field did not welcome the rise of Chinese brands, and despite the cautious attitude of the exhibition organizing committee, Red Dragonfly still achieved the "carp jumping over the dragon gate" in the international arena. Companies seeking to grow overseas may be inspired by its experience.

Xi Wei and Hua Jia are the exhibition manager of the planning department of Beijing Huaqi Information Digital Technology Co., Ltd. and the planning manager of the overseas business department respectively. They introduced the practice of Huaqi Patriots taking advantage of the Olympic Games in exhibitions at home and abroad, which is not only based on the company's identity as an Olympic supplier, but also comes from the close integration of products and related activities. Huaqi's example of expanding product attributes to participate in the Expo may open up ideas for more companies.

Gu Yinghao is the Marketing Director of Omron (China) Co., Ltd. Industrial Automation Company. When the trend of exhibitors in the industry changes, Omron responds accordingly. At the same time, the adoption of the internal information sharing platform provides all-round information support for the sales staff to follow up with customers after the exhibition, and also provides a quantitative basis for the evaluation of the exhibition effect.

Qian Dongxiao: Leap into the Dragon Gate with full confidence

You have just returned from the US exhibition. I heard that this is the first time for Red Dragonfly to participate in an international exhibition as a brand?

Qian Dongxiao: Yes, this is the first time. I have also participated in many European and American exhibitions before, all of which are in the factory area, and "Red Dragonfly" has become "Made in China". This time, I participated in WSA (that is, the Las Vegas International Footwear Exhibition, sponsored by the World Footwear Association of the United States, held once a year in February and August respectively). There is no way out, brand internationalization can not wait any longer, and now we must take it step by step. Although we could not get the booth in the brand area, we still designed and arranged the booth according to the specifications of the brand, and the effect of exhibiting in the public area was better than our own expectations.

Failed to get the booth in the brand area, how to overcome this disadvantage?

Qian Dongxiao: Not only that, but the booth in the public area was not ideal. We designed an open booth and decorated it with high-grade materials. The public area was originally a competition of high quality and low price. Other exhibitors gave priority to saving costs, using plastics for the layout, and all the shoes were lined up when the products were displayed. We display series and themes, presenting aesthetics and artistic atmosphere. The shoes and bags on display are all Italian-style high-end genuine leather products, and low-end products such as PU shoes are no longer on display.

Another disadvantage this time is that the direct preparation time for the exhibition is short, only two or three months. Usually, it takes half a year to prepare for an international exhibition. We can only arrange the work in a compact way, design the booth immediately after we get the floor plan, and seize the time to transport the exhibition racks and products from China to the United States. However, we are well prepared in terms of products. In 2006, the company established the international business department and began to develop overseas. A research and development center was built in Italy, so that our designs can be synchronized with international vision and taste.

Red Dragonfly's brand accumulation in China is not well known abroad. This is a problem that I didn't have to face before participating in the exhibition. How to meet this new challenge?

Qian Dongxiao: It's not that I don't know very much, but I almost don't know, and the awareness is zero. If we want to go international, we must go through such a process. We have confidence in our design and craftsmanship, and we are willing to take it one step at a time. Before participating in the exhibition, we did not set our goals too high. The purpose was to see the market response and try our products. A few months before the exhibition, I flew to the United States several times to see the market and products. After reading it, I came to the conclusion that some of our products are suitable.

The actual effect greatly exceeded expectations. Four or five hundred product catalogs were sent out in the afternoon of the first day. Passing guests will come in to see the products and sign several orders on the spot. Red Dragonfly will appear as a brand in retail terminals in the United States. The organizing committee was also very satisfied and immediately offered us a booth in the brand area next year. This is quite rare. You must know that foreign exhibitors welcome Chinese companies to be OEMs, but you are never welcome to compete as a brand. The Organizing Committee is also very cautious about giving Chinese companies a booth in the Brand Zone. This is an amazing affirmation.

Customers are interested in the craftsmanship and design of our products. Although the brand of Red Dragonfly is not known yet, they recognize its quality. In pricing, we also try to convey the brand's message to customers. When you mention the Hush Puppies, you know it's an athleisure style, and you immediately know its approximate price point. The same goes for red dragonflies. It has a target audience, it has its own characteristics, and it also has a reasonable price range.

The fellow exhibitors may lack such experience, how do you support and encourage them?

Qian Dongxiao: They are all team members who have been fighting side by side with me. We have selected some of them with rich experience. Even so, they have no experience in participating in brand exhibitions. Someone told me privately that they didn't know if the price was too high and could the customer accept it. I just told them that Red Dragonfly needs to be a brand and can no longer be a "made in China" OEM. Red Dragonfly needs to be internationalized. Internationalization should not stop at selling products made in China to the international market. The internationalization of the brand is the real internationalization. It may take more than a generation, but we are on the ground and we are taking the first step.

Now we have products designed in Italy, and our exhibition team also has European and American faces. In the future, we will also "made in Italy", and we will also need global procurement and global production. I talk to them about the vision of the company and help them build their confidence. Get market information, get feedback on the product, and we're done. In the past, it was a production-to-order business, and there were many customers, but one customer was only equal to one business. Different now, one customer equals one channel, which is much more meaningful.

Xi Wei and Huajia: Products are compatible with the exhibition

What are the domestic exhibitions that Patriot participates in all year round?

Xi Wei: From last year to now, the domestic traditional exhibitions have not done as much as in previous years. On the one hand, it is because the planning department focuses on Olympic-related activities, and on the other hand, we have also found the link between the exhibition and the Olympics. In August last year, Patriot Miaobi was selected by the International Olympic Committee as the designated interpretive equipment for the China Tour Exhibition of International Olympic Treasures, and it traveled to 15 cities during the one-year tour.

Traditional commentators explain on the spot, loudspeakers will cause noise on the scene, and with more than 700 exhibits involved in the tour, it is difficult for the commentators to master a large amount of Olympic humanities and historical knowledge in a short period of time. Magic Pen solves this problem. Visitors can watch the exhibits and listen to the explanation as long as they hold the Magic Pen and wear headphones. When you click on the picture of the flame on the guide booklet, you can immediately hear the story of the Olympic flame. After using the system, many visitors expressed their desire to buy it as a souvenir.

Was Magic Pen developed specifically for the Olympic Tour?

Xi Wei: No. As a language training service provider for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Patriot Ideal Feiyang has designed and developed a wonderful pen for the language training of Olympic volunteers. By implanting invisible infrared codes that cannot be seen by the naked eye in the book, the recognition sensor in Miaobi can recognize these codes. After a series of arithmetic decoding processes, the sound corresponding to the words and pictures can be "read". Miaobi has the feature of clicking and reading, and can be set in 8 languages, which is very suitable as an electronic guide in the exhibition. "Bring the Forbidden City Home", a collaboration between the Patriots and the Palace Museum, has also been launched. In addition, there are "Peking Opera China" version of Miaobi, Teresa Teng's song Miaobi and so on.

I heard that the Patriots also participated in the National Figure Expo held in Zhengzhou in April. Why?

Xi Wei: It is rare for consumer electronics companies to participate in the Expo. But for Miaobi, it can be defined as a consumer electronics product, and it can be said to be a product belonging to the publishing industry. Such as the Patriot has launched or is about to launch the Chinese-English comparison masterpiece, the Analects of Confucius, the 0-6 year old preschool education, and so on are all products of this type.

Many consumers at the Expo are interested in Miaobi, especially the "Habi" bear who can tell stories. We welcome parents to bring their children to try it out, squeeze the little hand of "Ha Pen", take out the magic card and let "Ha Pen" smell it, and "Ha Pen" can tell different stories. It was the first time that Miaobi participated in the Expo, and the on-site sales were quite good. The Expo not only introduced Miaobi to end consumers, but also allowed publishers and Patriots to better understand each other, and they may become the copyright providers of Patriot Miaobi in the future. On July 13, the 7th anniversary of the successful bid for the Olympic Games, the "Habi" bear was also brought to the Beijing Ditan Olympic Cultural Plaza, becoming a highlight.

Patriot has been participating in international exhibitions for five or six years. What changes have you experienced during that time?

Huajia: The biggest change is the annual increase in brand recognition. As early as 2002 and 2003, Patriot participated in international exhibitions such as CeBIT and CES as a brand, but in recent years, we obviously feel that more and more people know aigo. As brand recognition increases, the effectiveness of the exhibition becomes even more important. Patriot has its own set of criteria for selecting exhibitions. In the past, we may be concerned about which exhibitions we need to participate in, which markets we need to develop, and which products are suitable for the release of specific markets. Now we need to be concerned about which exhibitions we should not participate in. Because there are so many different kinds of exhibitions.

What are the main differences between overseas exhibitors and domestic exhibitors in planning and execution?

Huajia: Patriot's exhibitions are jointly responsible by various business departments and planning departments, and overseas exhibitions are completed by the cooperation of overseas business departments and planning departments. The organizing committee of international exhibitions will require companies to provide more and more detailed materials in the early stage. Although there is a lot of preparation work, compared with domestic exhibitions, international exhibitions have less uncertainty. So there are two or three months to be fully prepared.

In addition to these routine responses, the most important thing is the preparation of the product. The foreign exhibits will not copy the exhibits in the domestic exhibitions in the same period, but will choose suitable products according to the market conditions of specific countries and regions. For example, some high-quality and high-priced products are launched in the European market, and there are corresponding functional low-cost products in developing markets. These are closely related to the company's overseas strategy. The president attaches great importance to overseas business, and he will personally participate in large exhibitions.

The biggest difference in booth layout is that Patriot's overseas booths will be decorated with Chinese elements, such as hanging Chinese knots, such as round shapes. Those who are attentive will also find that the participants of the Patriots appear at the international exhibition in Tang suits every time.

Gu Yinghao: Respond to the situation and fully support

What changes have occurred in Omron's industrial control business in recent years?

Gu Yinghao: There is a big change. In the past few years, I participated in many exhibitions in the industrial control industry where I belonged. I participated in two to three exhibitions every year. The industrial control exhibitions are divided into regions, usually one each in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In the past two years, I no longer participate in the Industrial Control Exhibition, but participate in more than five industry exhibitions every year according to different industries, the most important ones include Textile Machinery Exhibition, Packaging Machinery Exhibition and so on. When participating in the Industrial Control Exhibition, we wait for customers to come to the door. The industry exhibition is different. We come to our own door and participate in the exhibition as a supporting supplier. The customers are actually exhibitors, but we don’t care much about the visiting customers. They are our customers’ customers.

It's a bit like going from a stage to a borrowed stage. Why make such a change?

Gu Yinghao: This is related to the change in the function of the exhibition. In the past, there were few channels to get product information. By participating in the exhibition, you can get a lot of new product information and know some solutions. Now there are many ways of promotion, such as print media and online media, which are rich and diverse. Customers can easily and quickly obtain examples of solutions through other channels, and fewer and fewer customers participate in the Industrial Control Exhibition. In the future, we may occasionally participate in an industrial control exhibition, but the significance is no longer in the actual effect, but only to show that Omron is still active in this industry.

Pragmatic is an industry exhibition. If a customer wants to target his customer, he must come. At the industry exhibition, we can meet important manufacturers from all over the country and face to face with customers. This has become a trend for automation product suppliers. The changes have been very obvious in the past two or three years. Siemens, Schneider and Mitsubishi have all turned to participate in industry exhibitions. This year's textile machinery exhibition occupies all 11 halls of Shanghai International Exhibition Center, and the scale is very large.

You talked about pragmatism just now. What is the purpose of pragmatism in participating in the industry exhibition?

Gu Yinghao: Keep in touch with customers to make the cooperative relationship more stable and obtain more business opportunities. Any manufacturer must continue to develop, constantly using new technologies to develop new products. They show new products and new technologies at the exhibition, and we also provide new technical solutions for the industry, so that customers can understand our new solutions and increase the possibility of cooperation.

We can also get the technical needs of customers through the exhibition, and we can adjust our technical solutions according to the needs of customers to meet their requirements. Face-to-face negotiation opportunities are available. Industrial Control Exhibition can not achieve such pertinence. The industrial exhibition is large and comprehensive, focusing on displaying products and covering many industries; the industry exhibition can focus on depth and solutions. We have one or two new product launches a year, which are focused on product display and targeted at industry media. What is the difference between human and resource investment?

Gu Yinghao: The scale of the industry exhibition is smaller than that of the industrial control exhibition, and the investment of manpower is also less. The Industrial Control Exhibition requires a booth of 200 square meters, and the products displayed, exhibitors, materials, and booth construction are all invested in. Industry exhibition 30 square meters is enough. The cost and personnel of one industrial exhibition can be held in three industry exhibitions, but the effect of the latter is far better than that of the former. It doesn't mean that the more you do it, the more difficult it will be, but it will be more tiring to do a big one.

For the sales department, although the total number of exhibitors has increased over the year, they only need to participate in the corresponding exhibition and have enough energy to do a good job in customer reception. For the marketing department, every exhibition must arrange and build the booth, place and debug the prototype, design the exhibition process, and arrange the seminar. These are the same. To say that it is different from before is that the functions of overall planning and coordination are more important.

What can the Marketing Department do to support salespeople? How to feedback and evaluate the effect of the exhibition?

Gu Yinghao: After the marketing department gets the customer information, it will share it with the sales department, so that they can contact the customer as soon as possible. At the same time, we will arrange reception staff who are fixed at the booth, and there are also mobile sales staff. These salesmen usually have their own regions, and they will go to the booths of customers in their respective regions to discuss with customers at the exhibition. After the exhibition, the marketing department will share the obtained customer information on the company's internal platform, and the latest solutions in the industry exhibition will also be shared on this platform, which is convenient for sales personnel to apply. The sales staff should provide customer tracking, project progress, and feedback on new projects when exhibiting in the second year. A very good cooperative relationship has been formed between the marketing department and the sales department, and the information sharing platform makes the cooperation between them very effective.