Case Histories Sales meetings > Employee recognition > Trade shows > Community events > Golf outings > Customer loyalty >

"So ... who are you guys?" Challenge/Opportunity A startup company was heading to their first tradeshow. They did not have a main row site, they instead had a side aisle but wanted to attract as much of the main aisle traffic as they could. They needed something to pull potential customers into the booth and capture their information for follow-up. Goal Provide a promotional product that would be the "buzz" of the show, attract customers to their booth and use this in conjunction with a coffee bar to keep customers in the booth to hear the presentation and collect their contact information. Implementation A coffee bar was setup for the booth, serving hot coffee in Styrofoam cups with the companies logo. In addition, a

special tradeshow canvas bag was put together that allowed the customers to put all of their other tradeshow wares and documents into, as well as provided a visible place for their tradeshow badge and separate pockets for their cell phone, PDA, pencils, pens, etc. The bag handles were setup to allow the customer to use this beyond the tradeshow as well, potentially at home or at the office. In order to receive the durable bag, potential customers were required to have their tradeshow badge swiped. Result The coffee bar was a huge success. The side aisle became the main aisle for traffic and interest, drawing potential customers from all locations of the three hall convention center. The startup company obtained a little more than 20,000 contacts from the 25,000 participants at the show. The startup’s name recognition and product interest rocketed from this one show. The company's ongoing legacy and reputation were highlighted by customers memory of the show for years afterwards.