Is the Traditional Tradeshow Booth Dead? Long Live the Brand Vibe
Thing is, people don't remember specs. Like that projector, yeah, it was a big projector. It it was big. It was doing something powerful. But at the end of the day, I don't remember anything about that projector, but I do remember the building you were projecting onto.
Alesia Hendley:I remember the vibrant colors. I remember we're up there having drinks. We're having a great time. And I'm like, yeah, if you wanna create an experience like that, then you should go to this company. The experience is the hard sale now.
Brian Rowley:Welcome to Prose + Comms, Engagement, Unplugged. I'm Brian Rowley.
Laura Smith:And I'm Laura Smith.
Brian Rowley:And today we're exploring one of our favorite topics. Laura and I just love this one, trade shows. And, you know, the overall conversation is really about is the concept of trade show and trade show booths one that is sustainable and will continue or do we see this as something that will be going away? And, you know, one of the things that we've talked about and one of the reasons why we wanted to cover this was because we do believe that trade shows will continue to be around. But one of the things that we do know is companies need to spend probably a little bit more time creating sort of welcoming and atmospheres where there's brainstorms, right, that can happen and brainstorming that can take place and probably get a little bit further away from sort of the whole concept of giveaways.
Brian Rowley:So today's guest that we have is someone who we really enjoy talking to. She considers herself sort of a chief vibe creator, which we love, and actually spends a ton of time partnering with companies to sort of develop this engaging eye catching sort of trade show content. And we've worked with her because she's really powerful in the way in which she promotes herself and her brand. But the whole goal of her being here today is to sort of share some of those insights, like what makes a booth design actually inviting and whether brands should focus time on creating emotion versus showcasing products. Those are some of the conversations that we wanna have and sort of dig into a little bit and figure out really what's the right answer.
Laura Smith:And given the spare of the conversations on trade shows, we're gonna have a wildcard segment that's called blast from the past.
Laura Smith:Brian and I are gonna talk about our experience way back when we started our careers, way back further for him, but about what was...
Brian Rowley:Completely unnecessary.
Laura Smith:What was a trade show experience like? How'd it start? So for me, it was, you know, twenty five years ago or so when I worked for a company. I could say it was Loews Cineplex, so the movie theater, AMC bought them. But a lot of the work we did was trade show.
Laura Smith:So I was heading up marketing, someone was heading up sales, and we would go to these shows, big cities, that as a young professional, I thought was super cool, traveling, seeing new cities, meeting people. But it was all about the tchotchkes. Okay? So like everyone's like coming around bags trying to collect all these tchotchkes. We're giving out tchotchkes.
Laura Smith:It's like, you'll do anything to get anyone your booth. You know, as a marketer, you had to be a marketer and a salesperson. So I learned that kind of skill early on, but it didn't mean I loved that aspect of it. But it felt like people went for the parties afterward, and everyone that knew each other, you know, kind of were all the friends hanging around throughout the show. But it was a lot of I felt like for me, it was like aggressive selling and trying to convince people to basically buy gift cards to a movie theater.
Laura Smith:So that's how I remember it early on, which more of the and again, young professional that it was just a little bit kitschy. Brian, what about you?
Brian Rowley:Well, I I mean, here, I would say you're being really kind about the Tchotzky conversation because I can remember watching people, like, literally walk the floors with bags of stuff that they've collected from booths. And I always was, like, sitting there wondering, I'm like, what are they doing with that? Like, where did that like, what are the once they leave there and then no joke, no joke. This is a true story. I can remember very early on in my career, one time after a show, we walked into like a meeting and this person was handing out like stuffed tchotchkes from like a trade show.
Brian Rowley:And I was like, oh, now you're re gifting trade show tchotchkes. I was like, what is happening here? But the reality of it is, you know, for me, I mean, it goes back even further. And I mean, it used to be like, you know, there were scantily clad people, right? Who were walking the show floors with signs that they were carrying about a specific booth.
Brian Rowley:I mean, I'm glad we're not there anymore. But I do think the emphasis around like how it's evolved and what it looks like today versus then. I do feel like we look at it a little bit differently. It was very, very product centric back in that timeframe. And to your point, Laura, I think there was a lot of like hard push selling that actually went on.
Brian Rowley:And I think today it's probably a little bit more educational than it is like that big hard sell that's happening. So, you know, I think they've evolved. They're still not my favorite thing. You do them. There's a sense that you need to do them.
Brian Rowley:There's awareness that creates around it. But yeah, I mean, I think there's definitely some things about them that I'm happy to leave in the past.
Laura Smith:Right. And I agree. I would say we made some progress. I wouldn't say we've come a long way. We've made some progress in how trade shows are viewed in the industry today, but that basically brings us to today's hot topic, which is, is the traditional trade show booth dead?
Laura Smith:So to help us explore this question, we've got our guest who calls herself the cheap vibe creator. She attends multiple trade shows per year, works with brands to create fun, engaging content at their booths, including BrightSign. Alesia Hendley has spent her career in sales for the professional audio industry. At the same time, she has built her own brand, a strong reputation as a leading voice on Pro AV trends, hosting her own podcast, and contributing articles to industry trade outlets. She has built such a strong personal brand on social media following that brands now partner with her to create engaging trade show content.
Laura Smith:So who better to help us explore what makes a brand an individual stand out on the floor? Alesia, welcome to the show.
Alesia Hendley:Well, thank you for having me. That was a that was a great introduction. I might have to use that and post it in my LinkedIn bio or something. I don't know. That was awesome.
Alesia Hendley:Thank you.
Laura Smith:You're famous in our world, Alesia.
Brian Rowley:You are. You know, we love having you and we love having conversations with you. So we are very excited to have you with us, but let's jump in. So, I mean, you obviously attend multiple shows per year. And I mean, honestly, it is your thing, right?
Brian Rowley:Like you're really good at it. I love following you, seeing where you wind up. But I guess for me, what what really is the thing that catches your interest at these shows? Is it the product? Is it the booth design?
Brian Rowley:Are you secretly one of those free swag people that have like rooms full of trade show swag that we'll be getting at Christmas? Like talk to us. What what what what pulls you in?
Alesia Hendley:No way. I'm I'm not the swag person. of all, I have no room for that kind of stuff. Usually I'm traveling across the country or across the globe and it's like nobody has room for that in their in their bag. Right?
Alesia Hendley:Unless it is very, like a nice t shirt or a nice jacket. I'm very into clothes or a nice fitted cap or snapback or something, which is rare because, there's not a lot of swag. Uh-huh. You know, like actual swag. People aren't actually presenting swag on a show floor.
Alesia Hendley:Right? Like, just as far as style. So that's kinda rare. So when I find it, I'm like, oh, yeah. I gotta grab some of that nice gear and, you know, rock it from the day to day.
Alesia Hendley:But other than that, tumblers, notebooks, I got enough of that. I got enough of that stuff.
Laura Smith:What pulls you in?
Alesia Hendley:What pulls me in honestly is people. At one point in my career when I was an end user, it was product. But then the more I started attending technical trade shows, the more I realized that there's not necessarily anything innovative from a technology standpoint. When you have when you attend those three to four years, it's usually like after that three to four years, people start releasing new things.
Alesia Hendley:So when I noticed that, I was like, alright, we're not here for the product. Cause the product is the same as last year. You have nothing new to show me. Who in your booth should I be talking to and why? Right?
Alesia Hendley:Those relationships. So if I'm stepping into a booth, I'm going to see a person nine times out of 10. And the people connection is what keeps the business rolling, from my perspective. I mean, Brian, I used to stop by your booth, even though I would miss you all the time because you're always doing a 100,000 things and you would miss me and vice versa. But that's what's drawn me to a booth, a person, an internal brand inside of a booth, or the company seems really cool and I just wanna go see how they have set up their actual booth, right?
Alesia Hendley:Especially digital signage companies. Do you have something that is eye grabbing? Does it look like Times Square? Like something that I can create content around? Let me know you know, I wanna see the exciting stuff.
Alesia Hendley:So if there's brands that are very like visually appealing, that's something that'll draw me in, which is product focused, but people in some kind of product, I guess I would say.
Brian Rowley:I would say, you know, I know I've told you this story, but you actually really shaped my opinion in the way in which we actually exhibit at trade shows. Because when I met you, I'll never forget it. We walked into, it was a booth and we were presenting a new projector for the company that I was working for. And this giant projector was sitting in the middle of the trade show floor and it was projecting an image up onto the ceiling. And I can remember you looking at me and I was like, what, you know, what can I talk to you about?
Brian Rowley:And you were like, I don't care about that. And it was the big focus of our booth. Right? It was the big projector sitting in the center. You were like, I want to understand more about that.
Brian Rowley:And it was the image that we were projecting 20 feet up into the ceiling coming from this projector. And I can remember that was so powerful to me because I was like, we have got this all wrong. And then as I started to walk the show floor, I realized there were other companies and you never saw their product. You only saw the outcome of what the product was capable of creating. And the moment it made of how it made you feel.
Brian Rowley:Right. And you were like, that's what I want. And we went to another one and I can remember, we had engineers and this was in Fort Lauderdale and we were standing on a balcony projecting onto the side of a building. And you were like, I don't care about that. I care about that.
Brian Rowley:And it was like people who are really excited in awe about like what was being transformed and how we were transforming a building into a space. So like, you don't know that. But like, that was so powerful for me and completely changed my thought on the way in which I look at trade shows.
Alesia Hendley:Well, I mean, sorry for telling you I don't care about your product, Brian. No, it was
Brian Rowley:honest and you were right. Like everything that you said about it, like made perfect sense. It was it's eye opening. And I think more people need to understand that just because that's important to us as a brand doesn't mean it matters. It's how did it make you feel or how did it change something for you?
Brian Rowley:And you made that really clear. And I'll always remember that. And that's why I love having conversations with you.
Alesia Hendley:And I mean, the thing is people don't remember specs. Like that projector, yeah, it was a big projector. It was big. It was doing something powerful, but at the end of the day, I don't remember anything about that projector, but I do remember the building you were projecting onto. I remember the vibrant colors.
Alesia Hendley:I remember we're up there having drinks. We're having a great time. And I'm like, yeah, if you wanna create an experience like that, then you should go to this company because they can provide that, right? It was more about the overall experience, which you and I talk about so much, that really gives the goosebumps. But I think the experience is the hard sale now.
Alesia Hendley:You can't just be like, here's my projector or here's my piece of hardware. Okay. Why do I care about this? Right? What is the experience it's creating for me and my end users?
Alesia Hendley:And that is the sell. So when it comes to trade shows, it's kind of hard to showcase that, but it really takes a lot of, creativity to really jump outside of the box. And I have not seen that on technically AV trade show floor. Right? It's very legacy traditional white walls, put the product on it, scan badges, and get out.
Alesia Hendley:Right? And I don't think we should approach it that way anymore. Everything's changing. Is the goal leads? Is the goal sales?
Alesia Hendley:Or is the goal to make people feel something? And I think it the if you make people feel something, the latter, you know, follows.
Laura Smith:And I think that's the thing. It's about that emotion. How do we how do we create that emotion, can that connection with people that are passing by or coming into the booth? And I guess from your perspective, Alicia, do you know any brand that really does that well when you're walking all these trade show floors? Are you seeing anyone doing it?
Laura Smith:Like, the product's always gonna be there. It has to be there whether it's, like, behind something or inside something. It has to be there. But a u d is there any brand that sticks out where you're like, they're they're they're, like, connecting. They're trying to spark an emotion with people that are coming in the booth versus shoving product in their face.
Alesia Hendley:And, I mean, this is not to toot the BrightSign horn, obviously, we are on your podcast. But what I saw at ISE from you all was amazing, right? You had the five year warranty wall, like it felt a little bit more of an activation. Like there were sections of it where people were engaging. I saw a lot of people come into your booth looking for specific people, which means that you have the right people on your team that are drawing people in.
Alesia Hendley:The vibrant colors, it wasn't stale, right? Like the lights. Like I go back and look at the pictures all the time. I'm like, look how cool this actually looks. Like if you just looked at the booth, it looked cool.
Alesia Hendley:It stood out from others on a show floor. ISC was a was a really great show for digital signage. I think it's easy for digital signage companies to stand out though. Right? Because you have something that is sexy.
Alesia Hendley:You have something that's appealing. Right? You have something that's standing out. Those other companies that are selling like dongles and adapters and I don't know, things that aren't, you know, so sexy, it's harder for them to do. And I think we need to move forward thinking about a booth as a true activation and have people walk through there.
Brian Rowley:Yeah. I mean, if a digital signage company can't get a trade show right, that's problematic, right? That's very That's what we do, right? That's the whole, everything that we do from a brand perspective. I mean, we're storytellers, right?
Brian Rowley:And digital signage is one way to do that. So if we can't get that right, then that is problematic. But you're right, there are some aspects to that that aren't as sexy, that aren't as easy to transform into a moment that creates sort of that wow factor. And I think that's when it becomes challenging. And I think that's what people have to do.
Brian Rowley:And I think to be honest with you, because the bar has not been raised for quite some time, people get comfortable and we all know it doesn't matter what you're doing when you start to get comfortable with something. It just, I mean, everybody knows that. And why would I give you my time? Like, I think people's time is precious. And I think you have to really understand, like, if I want someone to come into my booth, I need to make it worth their while for them to be there.
Brian Rowley:And I think that's a key part of what people should be doing.
Laura Smith:And even outside the booth though, Alesia, like, what you do is unique. Right? So you're at a show, you're not just inside a brand's booth. You're basically activating across the whole experience. And that's something in of itself that's unique because there aren't other people doing what you're doing.
Laura Smith:So talk to us a little bit about, like, how did you come up with the way in which you're activating yourself and your brand to then on behalf of other brands? Like, where did that come from? And and do you feel like you're unique in that? Because I know I don't see it outside of yourself, but maybe there are others that I'm just not as aware of. Or Brian, maybe you, you know, you know others too.
Laura Smith:But I wanna understand a little bit of where you kind of came up with that concept and how you feel that you're driving those unique experiences.
Alesia Hendley:Yeah. That's a great question, Laura. Honestly, like, it started because I didn't know about these shows. And I was like, these shows have been going on for thirty years. There's so much opportunity here.
Alesia Hendley:There's so many companies that I was actually, like, installing and using in my day to day life as an end user. And I'm like, wait, you guys all get together once, twice a year and have this big show? How could I not have known about this? So the time I went, I realized how content was being created. And I went home and I was like, man, that's kind of boring.
Alesia Hendley:But it's but it's such a fun experience. So I brainstormed and I was like, what kind of content do I like to watch? I love to watch like travel vlogs. And I was like, what if I approached a technical trade show, like a travel vlog, instead of just running down tech specs? I was like because I was watching a lot of content from the show and all it was was tech specs, and I was like, I don't care.
Alesia Hendley:I could have stayed at home and read the spec sheet. Right? The the the manufacturer is going to send me that information anyways. My integrator is going to leave it with me after he installs it or she installs it. So I have to be here for something more than tech specs.
Alesia Hendley:And when I kind of brainstormed on all of that, I was like, alright, I am going to put on my cute suit and I am going to, you know, create some fun, engaging content about this show, mostly because I wanted other people like myself who are unaware of these opportunities to know that this type of event exists. Like, come out to this thing and get opportunity, like create the opportunity for yourself, shake some hands, kiss some babies. And it really changed the game for me. I was an end user when I went and now, look at where my career is today. It was kind of just like this random idea, shout out to Alex that, you know, we used to work, we used to work together and I, and we were sitting there one night during a, during an event and I was like, man, I got this crazy idea.
Alesia Hendley:You know, if you lock in with me, I think we can have something special here. And years later, here we are now as a full company, making exciting content and we love what we do. So I'm glad I ran with the idea, but it really was just this random idea of how I wanted to do things differently and how I wanted to see things done differently.
Laura Smith:And I think it's like brands can pick up a cue from that, I guess. You know, this is where, you you know, like like you are your own brand. But think brands can pick up a cue from that, that's why brands do wanna work with you, I think, too, right, to create. Because even if in the booth, it's not that exciting or it's only as exciting as it's going to get, what else can we do outside of our booths as brands that draw attention or evoke those emotions and build those connections? Right?
Laura Smith:I think that's a piece of it too that trade shows and it doesn't always have to be the booth. Right. Or what else can we do outside of the booth? So I think that's another way brands need to think differently to not be stuck in the old ways of doing things.
Alesia Hendley:Right. And I mean, that's difficult. Right? Trade shows are expensive. I don't know how many people actually realize that.
Alesia Hendley:Like, brands pay a lot for that booth space. Right? So how do you maximize the time on the show floor and off the show floor, right? It's a huge investment. And I think that's why companies need to be more intentional about how you go about a trade show.
Brian Rowley:I think the other thing too, is looking at it as a complete activation, right? It's just one tactic in a series of ways to engage with audiences. And I think sometimes what ends up happening is people do a really great job at the show and then afterwards it just goes away, Right? So it's almost like throwing that money that you just mentioned out the window. So the plan has to be consistent and carry on beyond the show in order for it to really be beneficial from a brand perspective.
Brian Rowley:And I mean, Alesia, you know, I mean, I talked to you after InfoComm last year and I can remember you saying, and you weren't the only one because I talked to Dave Haynes at Sixteen: Nine and he got some people who were criticizing because I think a lot of people were saying there really wasn't a whole lot there. That was really exciting or really different or really something that was new that I haven't seen before. And I think your role, I think, is really incredibly important because that honesty is what helps brands continue to push themselves. Because if we all just say how great everything is, and the reality is it was boring, that doesn't benefit anybody. So I do think that the role that you play and the brand that you've created and the work that you're doing, think is really important.
Brian Rowley:And I do think it's going and is making an impact.
Alesia Hendley:Well, thank you, Brian. You know, sometimes I feel like, hey, we're pushing the envelope And then we hit a we hit a show and it's stale and it's dry. And I'm like, wait, what's happening here? You know, our industry is so up and down and really focused on sales and moving boxes. And I think we get tied up in that.
Alesia Hendley:Like you said, we get comfortable. We get wrapped up in leads. Like marketing teams can't look at a trade show ROI as just leads. Shouldn't you want something more from this? You spend hundreds of thousand dollars.
Alesia Hendley:Shouldn't you want more than leads? Shouldn't you want to engage with people? Shouldn't you wanna have real touch points instead of just badge scans? I don't know. Maybe I'm just rambling here, but I think it needs to be more than that.
Alesia Hendley:And I think the ROI should be attached to more than leads. You need some real true engagement.
Laura Smith:Well, we always talk about as marketers, like creating experiences for consumers. Right? So in the end, yes, our customers are at the end, potentially the end users of those those experiencing the outcomes that we're creating, but we're all we always talk about experiences, how it's so important. I mean, data shows it. Consumers want to engage with brands that are are creating interesting experiences or bring value to them.
Laura Smith:So it's just we have to carry that same mindset into a true, like, b to b event trade show. You know? I think that's where it's like it's shifting. If we're doing it for the end consumer, then we should be doing it among ourselves within the within the industry, in any industry, really. But I do think it's not the way I don't think it's the way people think because it's such a I mean, it's an archaic marketing channel.
Laura Smith:You know? Like, it's it it is. It's just
Alesia Hendley:And I And that's part of the reason why my brand is wrapped up. Like, you go to my website, you go to LinkedIn, like, my tagline is about humanizing B2B. Like, yes, we sell to other companies, but companies have people, right? Like companies run off of people. You have to treat people like people and you have to realize that invoking that emotion is what pushes business forward.
Alesia Hendley:And I think it's kind of challenging because we move boxes. I think that we focus on just those hard sales, but we have a long game. Like honestly, the sales cycle of AV is so long. So why are you trying to push products down people's throat in three days anyway? You think they're going to call you next week and be like, yeah, really like that product.
Alesia Hendley:Can I just buy a 100 of them? It usually doesn't work that way. Like there might be one offs, you know, you might get lucky, but it really does not work that way. So if you if you think about it from a human perspective and think about the honest, like life cycle of our of our business, hey, you know, we might be able to change some things how we approach it.
Brian Rowley:But if you keep that human concept in mind, I mean, trade shows actually inclusive or are we alienating some of the new generation in voices? Because I know there's some data that's out there that shows that, you know, Gen Z, Gen X, right? Like their trade shows aren't the place where they're gonna go and learn about a company. So how do we get to some of the newer generations and target some of those voices? Because I do feel like we do still treat and focus on some of the older generations that have been around trade shows for a very long time.
Brian Rowley:But I do think this new generation, I think it's gonna force us. I think it's gonna force us hard to make, changes.
Alesia Hendley:Yeah. This is a topic that's kind of like dear to my heart because there are a few groups that actually sponsor younger generations, whether that's high school, you know, children or, you know, young age, middle aged adults, right? To come to the show, have this opportunity to connect with people, see how the show actually works, the show ends and where do they go? I never see them. I never see them again.
Alesia Hendley:Like I personally reach out to them on LinkedIn because I've connected with them or whatever cases, but some of them go on to do other things like completely outside of the industry. Because I think at a trade show, again, it's so sales focused, but at the same time, we constantly talk about how we don't have talent. We don't have the talent pool. We don't have new energy. We don't have well, they were there and we completely ignored them.
Alesia Hendley:Now what? You know, like, now what? I get it. We all get happy and we say, hoorah. Yay.
Alesia Hendley:The kids and the children are here. Great. And then what? We absolutely do any we do nothing with it. We drop the ball.
Alesia Hendley:And, I don't like that. So I started personally just reaching out, you know, doing one offs as best as I can. But yeah, in a in a sense, if you go to a trade show floor in AV, you know what group of people is gonna dominate that show floor. And I think that's just because of our our industry in general. We don't have much diversity and, I think our active outreach sucks.
Alesia Hendley:So
Producer Joey:And I Yeah.
Alesia Hendley:I'm I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm tell you you
Laura Smith:You can plead that later.
Producer Joey:It's for an awful,
Brian Rowley:awful word.
Laura Smith:She's so risky. I think
Brian Rowley:the other thing too is, I mean, to your point, even what you do on the show floor, right? So you should be aware of content and the type of content that you're running because does that attract new audiences? What other outreach like are you doing prior to a show that's more focused on some of these other generations? And what are the like? So you do have to carry it through.
Brian Rowley:You have to be thoughtful and mindful. And so you mentioned expense, and it's expense way beyond just the cost of the show floor and rigging and electrical and carpet and all that stuff. It's the expense around having these conversations, continuing these conversations and developing the content for your booth that creates that moment that does reach all of those audiences. And I know for us, Laura and I talk about this all the time because we have so many different audiences, it becomes challenging and the demographic for each of them is slightly different. So being able to do that and do that well constantly is a big undertaking.
Brian Rowley:And I don't think people realize just how big that is.
Alesia Hendley:Well, the
Laura Smith:reality is though, the buyer is younger. Like the buying audiences now are younger. So, like, we can't avoid that. And so, yes, our industry is people gonna age out though. So, like, then we have to think about, okay, the the buyer is a younger buyer or they're just have different needs.
Laura Smith:They have different expectations. So the so the trade show, you know, activations just have to evolve with that or else people will stop going. You know, those people who are making those decisions in the businesses, they're just gonna have a different mindset and a different set of expectations. So it'll be interesting because it hasn't hit every industry, you know, probably ours included. But at some point in time, change needs to be made, you know, to to to do what you're doing, Alicia, to bring those experiences, to evoke those emotions, to put product there, yes, but they're secondary.
Laura Smith:They're not at the forefront. We're just gonna be forced to do it.
Alesia Hendley:And, you know, like I truly respect the generation that came before me. Like even when, you know, every job that I've had, I make it a point to connect with the eldest person on the team. One, because I want to understand them, because it usually doesn't flow the other way. You usually don't see, my good friend, Andy, he would not mind if I called him the old grumpy guy because we all did, but it usually doesn't it doesn't right? It doesn't necessarily flow the other way.
Alesia Hendley:Right? You don't see like that generation reaching down and be like, hey, let me take you under my wing and let me help you. So I always made it a point to go upward. Like, alright, tell me about what you do here, why you do it this way. Can we do it differently?
Alesia Hendley:Let's brainstorm, right? Let's connect. But also I reversed that. Like there were people who were younger than me, like, alright, you need to learn this, right? If you want to move up.
Alesia Hendley:And I think we have a very great community in AV and I think that's how people have been able to move up within a company or move from company to company, right? That aspect of community is always there. In part, a large part of the reason why we always attend shows like Infocom, right? We go to have this big family reunion, whether there's some new product or not, we're all going there to reconnect with each other. And I think when we take on the undertaking of trying to, you know, invoke that emotion and people who the industry haven't seen yet or don't understand yet.
Alesia Hendley:That is very challenging. And this is why I always say we need to not expect those people to come to us, but we need to meet them where they are. That is very challenging when you have a large trade show that's expensive. So some of those people can't make it, which is why I started creating the content because I would be like, yo, this is a really cool show, friends. Look at this.
Alesia Hendley:And they're like, well, how did you get there? And I was like, well, I paid out of pocket. You know, I took the days off PTO, I paid out of pocket. We stayed at some rundown hotel, you know, Alex got his stuff kicked out of the room and it was a nightmare, but we made it happen, right? Like it's really expensive.
Alesia Hendley:So how do brands start making those connections off of a show floor? Right? They're just as important. But yeah, long story short, we can do better. We can do better.
Alesia Hendley:And, we will, we will, as more people get into the industry and more companies realize how important it is to their brand, because that is the next pipeline of people who are gonna be on your team. Absolutely.
Brian Rowley:Yeah. Completely agree.
Laura Smith:Okay. It's time to keep some of the fun going and put you in our hot seat, Alesia.
Alesia Hendley:Hot seat. Obviously,
Producer Joey:we're ready for some fun.
Laura Smith:Okay. We talked a lot today about what makes a booth experience successful. We know what that is. It's definitely not putting products in people's hands every at every juncture. So tell us what your worst experience with the brand at a trade show was.
Laura Smith:You don't have to name the name of the brand, but like what was that one?
Brian Rowley:But it would be fun if you did. No, just kidding.
Laura Smith:Especially if it's one of our competitors.
Brian Rowley:Or us. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
Alesia Hendley:Hey guys, I already said that we suck, so I don't
Producer Joey:think I'm gonna press any more buttons.
Alesia Hendley:Beep. Right. Yeah. We'll just bleep that out. But, like, honestly, I was an end user for most of my career.
Alesia Hendley:And, one of one of the worst things and worst feelings was walking into multiple booths, and being ignored.
Producer Joey:Like,
Alesia Hendley:I would literally stand there for ten minutes. And you know ten minutes is like for ever on a trade show floor and nobody will and nobody will walk up to me. I'm like, okay, great. I'm not gonna buy that brand. Right?
Alesia Hendley:It put it like it put a pit in my stomach, honestly. Because what made you guys think that I couldn't buy something? Right? Yeah. Because I didn't have the khakis on, but, know, like, let me know.
Alesia Hendley:But that that's probably one of the worst experiences ever is walking into a booth and being completely ignored, whether you're a newbie, a known pro or just unknown. Right? There are a lot of people in our industry that do a lot of great work, but aren't visible. Right? They don't post on LinkedIn all the time and they don't do social media, but that does not mean that they don't have value.
Alesia Hendley:So I think everyone that walks into a booth is just as important because it's kind of like that thing of the CEO and the janitor. You don't know who is who. You should treat everybody as such on a show floor. When we talk about like overall booth activation is just, I just hate when all the walls are white. I really, really hate that.
Alesia Hendley:Like, I can't even take pictures in here. Like this doesn't showcase anything. But I mean, show floor is show floor. Some people do their booth well, some people don't. And trade shows aren't going anywhere.
Alesia Hendley:It's just about how brands choose to show up or not show up. We're starting to see a lot of brands not attend trade shows, big brands. So what does that mean for the future? You know, are they going to do their own activations? Are they going to come back?
Alesia Hendley:Who knows? It's crazy times, but I'm excited to see what happens next.
Brian Rowley:Yeah. I would say that when you say like some do the booth well and some don't, I think some do the booth experience well, right? A lot of good booths, the experience to your point isn't great. Nothing drives me more crazy than to see to your point, you walk into a booth and there's a bunch of employees that are all gathered talking to one another. You can talk to each other in the office every single day, right?
Brian Rowley:We're here to talk to our customers or people who are interested in learning more about our brand. Like that's why we're here. So I think it is more than just the booth. The booth is just a way to pull the activation and bring it to life. But the overall experience, I think is the piece that we really have to get people to strengthen.
Alesia Hendley:Yeah. Nothing worse than walking into a booth and everybody's on their computers. You ever seen that? That one's fun. Like, dude.
Alesia Hendley:Yeah.
Laura Smith:And we have a rule. We have a rule at BrightSign that if no more than three people can be no. Sorry. No more than two people can be talking to you at the same time, we call it clumping. So there's no clumping.
Brian Rowley:It's true.
Laura Smith:It's no clumping. Two people can talk to each other, but no more than that.
Producer Joey:So if the person walks over, someone has to leave the
Laura Smith:the situation because it's not about
Producer Joey:us to Brian's point. There's so many people around us we should be
Laura Smith:talking to. So it's a it's a it's an internal joke that we've now exposed, but no clumping.
Alesia Hendley:But that speaks to that speaks to the companies that do that. Right? Like, do you guys not have a yearly meetup? Do you guys not collaborate internally? Why is it so important to talk to each other right now in this moment?
Alesia Hendley:Right. Right? Like, tell me your culture is a little weird without telling me your culture's weird. You know? What's going on here?
Producer Joey:That's true though.
Brian Rowley:It's very true.
Alesia Hendley:What's happening?
Brian Rowley:Yeah, for sure. Alesia, thanks so much for joining us. You know, it's always great to have a conversation with you. I love, you know, your brand. I love what you bring to other people's brands.
Brian Rowley:And I'm excited to see you at InfoComm. So thanks again for being here.
Laura Smith:Yes. Thank you, Alesia. It was so much fun as it always is, we're super excited to see you in a couple weeks.
Alesia Hendley:Yeah. Thank you both so much. I love talking to you all. I appreciate your consideration as always, and I look forward to more dancing on the show floor. Right Brian?
Brian Rowley:We'll be there.
Producer Joey:Oh, we're dancing. We're dancing.
Laura Smith:Not at 9AM.
Brian Rowley:Laura, you know, one of the things that is kind of interesting, which should be kind of interesting feedback for folks that are listening to this is really understanding like, what are your, Alesia touched on this, what are your goals of the show? Is it sales? Is it leads? Or is it to make people feel something? And I think if you step back and you answer that honestly, I think a lot of us would change the way in which we focus on the direction of what we're doing and why we're at a specific show.
Laura Smith:But I think a lot of people would answer number one and two.
Brian Rowley:Of course.
Laura Smith:And that's just, you know, with the sales mentality or traditional marketing mentality. But I like I said, in the conversation, it's we if we were creating experiences for consumers, we wanna make sure our people see and understand the value technology can bring and and, you know, enhance their lives. Why aren't we doing that within our own business models? You know? So I think that's where it's yeah.
Laura Smith:I think that your answer is it'd be great if more of us would answer in that way. And I think, that's not the case right now. But as we said, I think as generations change and those people that really need to be influenced shift, we we're gonna need to appeal to them in a in a different way than probably we're doing today.
Brian Rowley:Instagramable moments Yeah. Love it. Really stuck out. I love that. Like, how does how do you create an Instagrammable moment?
Brian Rowley:I think if we could leave with that thought and more of us could focus on that, I think would be see much greater success in a lot of different places.
Laura Smith:Absolutely.
Producer Joey:And that doesn't mean paint wings on the side of a building and go stand in front of the wings and take a picture of it.
Brian Rowley:There goes Producer Joey's chiming in with his point of view.
Laura Smith:Thanks for joining us, Joey. Yeah.
Producer Joey:You're welcome. I'll be here all day.
Brian Rowley:Well, thanks for listening. If you want to follow Alesia and you want to see what she's doing, you can follow her on social at TheSmoothFactor, or you can visit her website at thesmoothfactor.com. If you liked what you heard here today, be sure to follow us.
