Two of the areas integral to exhibiting are often over looked – the ‘before’ and the ‘after’. Companies are often quite gung-ho about exhibiting, and when they are at the show, they often do a very good job and fulfill their targets regarding prospects, leads, sales etc. However, there may be a lack of planning – sometimes the decision to exhibit is taken at a late stage, so time for planning was sacrificed. Sometimes there isn’t sufficient time to order the display stand you want, so you sacrifice the look or your space. Sometimes we are just so eager to get going and meet the right people that we don’t set out clear, quantifiable goals and targets. And oftentimes we are so shattered and relieved when the show is over, or busy fielding sales enquiries and gearing up for the next one, the last thing we are about to do is analyse in depth our experience at that tradeshow.

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research realises this, and they have a provided a free, onlinhe resource to help exhibtors with both planning and analysis before and after shows. Their website provides what they call the ‘ROI Toolkit’. The name is important – this tool is going to help you ascertain the Return On Investment you get from exhibiting, and this the crux of your experience at the show. Was it worth the time and money invested? What worked and what didn’t? What will we do differently next time? How will we go about implementing these changes? Essential questions to ask. Check out the ROI Toolkit to explore this tool.

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As regular readers of this blog will know, on Friday 27^th June we celebrated 20 years in business with a bit of a party in our new showroom in Clonshaugh Dublin 17. The purpose of the event was three-fold: firstly, to welcome customers, potential customers and suppliers in to our new premises and show them around. Secondly, we wanted to show off our new Modular Custom Build showroom display, which we feel is worth shouting about, as it is totally reusable and customizable, has fabric, graphic and backlit panels, and incorporates a lockable room, a canopy, bar area with seating and plasma screens, as well as more traditional display elements. Finally, we wanted to have a little bit of fun as a ‘thank you’ to our customers, suppliers and staff.

The run up to the event was extremely busy, with invitations to design, print and send, goody bags to fill, and the showroom display to erect and perfect. On top of these tasks we also had to finish off general painting and decorating which had been outstanding since our move in January.

On the day itself, preparations started early, with the caterers and band arriving to setup in the early afternoon. Nicola Watkins, our PR consultant, and Michael Chester, our photographer for the event, arrived around lunchtime, and soon after that customers, friends, suppliers and interested parties started to come through the doors at an fairly hectic pace. People were free to relax with a glass of wine, or to take a tour of the building, or to have a giggle at our display of old photos, ranging from staff members in their bell bottoms to the first ‘button and band’ Pop Up displays – (they both seemed like the height of style and technology at the time!). Further entertainment was provided by Caricature Artist, Mark Heng, who had people queuing up for a ‘flattering’ caricature drawing to take home. Company Owners Colette & Larry were presented with flowers and a John Rocha Waterford Crystal Vase by the management, and the hardcore customers and staff members continued the party late into the night. Thanks to everyone who came along to make it such a special day for us.

Thanks to:

Nicola Watkins, of Nicola Watkins PR.

Michael Chester, Photographer, http://www.chester.ie/

Mark Heng, Caricaturist, http://markheng.com/

Little Bites Catering, http://www.littlebites.ie

Jim Farley & his Band

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Full report to follow shortly, but here are a few photos from the event. You can see our new Nomadic Display showroom stand in the background, replete with full bar area with canopy and seating. Thanks to all who came along and made the day so enjoyable…

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Its hard to believe, but this year Applied Signs & Display will be celebrating 20 years in the display business, and we will be marking the occassion with a hooley this Friday, the 27th June. The event runs from 2.30pm to 5.30pm, and will feature music from Jim Farley and His Band, as well as some food and drinks. We will also be showing off our new showroom, with its 6 metre tall custom build stand featuring a large bar area, which I’m sure will come in handy on the day! We hope to see many familiar and new faces at the event and all are welcome – just email alison@appliedsigns.ie for more details.

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The weekend before last we got to flex our conference muscles yet again when we produced and set up the graphic backdrop for the Dublin Airport Authority’s announcement of plans to create a high-rise Airport City at Dublin Airport in Cloghran. The proposal includes 600000 square metres of office space and would be expected to lead to the creation of 30000 jobs, 10000 of which would be new jobs. To complement this announcement the DAA used an extensive backdrop, a projection screen, podium graphics and other displays, along with lighting and an impressive scaled model of the planned development. For more information on creating an impressive display like this contact sean@appliedsigns. Footage of the event and branding can be seen by clicking on the movie camera symbol below the header, here.

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The Irish Business Women website is a resource which I regularly make use of, and I have made contact with quite a few interesting and knowledgeable business people through this busy forum (both male and female, surprisingly enough). The IBW are also customers of ours, having purchased a Nomadic Pop Up Display stand and accessories in the last few years. For this reason I thought it was worth mentioning that their annual conference is taking place this year on the Thursday 29th May in the Mullingar Park Hotel. The theme this year is ‘Inspiring Women’ and the line up includes Susan Stockdale, author of “Secrets of Successful Women Entrepreneurs”, Maria Waters of Monogram.ie, Senator Mary White, Noemi Beres of Reservacar, Jenni Woolfson of Poshfizz and Celebrity Cook and successful business woman Jenny Bristow. Discounted tickets are available if you book before the end of April, more info is available here…

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In our second guest blogger spot, Emma Toner, Publicity Manager with Gowan Distributors, tells us why the Irish Motor Industry in general, and Peugeot in particular, are increasingly favouring online advertising channels over more traditional methods…

During 2007 advertising expenditure amongst the Irish Motor Industry increased by 14.3% to €56million. During the same period, online marketing spends in the industry grew at a huge rate of 144% to €814,000. Whilst the traditional media spends did not suffer a decline during that period, the % growth in press, radio, TV and outdoor media was much smaller in comparison. Forecasts suggest further growth in the online sector is almost certainly guaranteed this year.

The growth in online advertising in Ireland and in the Irish Motor Industry is undoubtedly as a result of many factors and has begun to follow that of the UK, which of course mirrored the growth pattern in the US and the rest of Europe. It is certainly linked to increasing broadband penetration and the subsequent increasing number of users.

With particular relevance today as we enter into economic uncertainty, budgets are being scrutinized the world-over and companies are no longer willing to spend cash on highly costly, mass-media that do not reach targeted audiences or yield measurable results. Most online campaigns are paid for on a click basis, eliminating any wasted media buying, which is good news for the budget-conscious. Where TV has not been an option in the past, due to budget constraints, online offers companies the chance to talk to their target audiences at only a fraction of the cost.

By its very nature, online offers more engagement and interaction on a one-to-one basis, directly with consumers you have identified. The individual choses to click on your advert only because she is interested in your product and as soon as she clicks on your website, you can start to measure the success of the campaign. Indeed, online is the most readily measurable medium available today. Companies can, with very simple software, measure anything from the number of unique users who visit their site, to the duration time per visit, the number of page views and as a result trace their behavior or shopping preferences to build a customer profile. Click through rates and cost of conquest / investment per contact can easily be calculated.

With such measurability, the review process of a given campaign is made so much easier and action taken to rectify slow results can be immediate. Low traffic generation to a website highlights a problem. The solutions are few and may be to change creative, divert media buying or to ensure the loop is being closed when online requests have been made. Online content can be reviewed on a daily, weekly or monthly basis or at any given time.

Whilst the benefits of online advertising are well known and the majority of automotive competitors in Ireland are active online, absolute spend levels remain relatively low at a mere 1.5% of the total spend and the approach has remained traditional with the use of banner advertising. As a result, Irish Motor Distributors who are currently investing in innovative and consistent online display advertising and search engine marketing can achieve maximum cut-through with increased brand awareness with relatively low investment.

Gowan Distributors Limited, Peugeot Importers in Ireland, allocated 3.1% of their annual media budget to online spend in 2007, over twice the average and was the third biggest online spender in the Irish Motor Industry. The company has developed a digital programme since mid-2005, culminating in the appointment of a Digital Agency in 2007, ICAN, to look after all Peugeot online activity in Ireland.

The company’s current strategy is three fold:

1) The company recognises the need for display advertising and sponsorships on high-volume Irish websites to attract those consumers in passive car buying mode. Display advertising is key to generating leads and increasing brand awareness.

2) The company understands the importance of innovative creatives and technology to stay ahead of its competitors and has employed take-overs, duo-formats, geo-targetting and video. Banner adverts are no longer as effective as they once were. Companies need to invest in and try out new formats as they become available.

3) The third and possibly most important element relates to search engine marketing, key to serving those in the active car buying phase. Search engine optimisation is a vital tool in an integrated campaign. Web users may pick up key messages from a press, radio or TV campaign. Key words typed into Google will then bring them straight to a relevant web page where they can learn even more information on a product. Over 49% of Irish web-surfers use Google as their preferred search engine and Gowan Distributors have developed a Google Adwords programme that runs at all times to ensure those interested are directed to the relevant web pages.

With substantial investment and a full online programme, Gowan Distributors now has a growing database of over 7,000 prospects. Online activity has promoted new model launches, special edition models, Peugeot Platinum Used Cars, Aftersales Services and Peugeot’s Sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup 2007 and generated thousands of visits to the Peugeot website. With proven success in online advertising, future spending is estimated to rise to 10% of the total Peugeot media budget by 2010, out-weighing TV and cinema.

Emma Toner is publicity manager with Gowan Distributors, Importers of Peugeot within Ireland. www.Peugeot.ie

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This week the Sunday Independent published its list of ‘The Best and the Worst of 2007′ in Irish Business, and we are thrilled that several of our customers were represented in the ‘Best of’ portion of the list! Compiled by ’24 of Ireland’s smartest stockmarket analysts’, this list identifies the Best Large and Small Companies in Ireland as well as the Best Young CEO and the Best and Worst Business Deals this year. Gene Murtagh of Kingspan and Patrick Kennedy of Paddy Power were identified as the Best and 3rd Best Young CEOs in the country respectively, while Norkom was lauded as the Best Small Company and AIB as the 2nd Best Large Company in 2007. All of the above are customers of ourselves (Norkom, AIB & Paddy Power all use our Banner Stands, Pop Up Stands and Display Accessories, while Kingspan use our Re-usable Custom Build Stands, our Exhibition Set Up Service and our Building Signage), and we are delighted to congratulate these CEO’s and companies on this significant achievement.

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