One of the many benefits derived from hosting events is the experience one takes away from previous efforts. Planning is obviously essential, but the adage “you don’t know what you don’t know” comes into play for those initial efforts. It manifests itself in the form of attendee feedback, or even the lack thereof. Mistakes are made, they’re noted, and countermeasures are implemented for the next go-around.
With that in mind, the dealer panelists from our state of the industry report on hosted events have shared some of their lessons learned and nuggets of advice they would offer to those companies considering educational gatherings of their own.
Much has changed in the last 25 years when it comes to giving customers a hands-on look at equipment. Bob Maxwell, president of KOMAX Business Systems in South Charleston, West Virginia, recalls how at one time, it was somewhat standard practice to leave a copier at a customer’s location for a week or so to let them take it for a spin. That opened the door for potential abuse, where the client could churn out 20,000 copies and then decide it’s not the right fit for them.
This is the beauty of a lunch-and-learn meeting or a hosted event, providing a relaxed environment (not to mention food) so that clients can get that hands-on experience in a controlled setting. It also sets the stage for an initial foray into other offerings, such as managed IT or managed voice, where the client or prospect may not be in the market for it currently, but puts the dealer front of mind as a future provider.
“Any time can get people to come into your office or go to a tech show, you have a chance to build that relationship,” Maxwell said. “Even though technology has changed a lot over the years and the business has changed, it’s still about people. And they are going to buy from people that they trust, people that they know, and people that they like and respect.”
One of the keys to assembling a quality core of presentations is to ensure that you have a fairly representative makeup of individuals. Haley Grigsby, marketing director for Fisher’s Technology of Boise, Idaho, notes that this can be particularly difficult in the world of IT, which tends to be male-dominated.
“It’s important to pull together many different perspectives,” she said. “You can find amazing presenters or partners that can diversify your trade show and be inclusive to women and different ethnicities. If you rely only on the group of people that you know, your show might not be a good reflection of the community.”
Janae Spagnola-Lyons, vice president of Ohio Business Systems, admits the Cleveland-based dealer had its share of learning experiences from the major bash it held at FirstEnergy Stadium last August. From a customer-facing perspective, it was a rousing success, with 275 clients and prospects enjoying a great time. The back-office viewpoint conceded that there were improvements to be made from a marketing and client-targeting perspective.
“This was our first year doing it, so we wanted to get as many people in the door as we could,” Spagnola-Lyons said. “So we made it general and broad. But when you’re having a party, you’re not focusing on making a sale. That was the disheartening part of it, especially when you’re investing that much money. We had some people follow up from it, but the feedback was more along the lines of what a great event it was as opposed to we sold x-many thousands of dollars in equipment afterwards.”
When it comes to planning, laying the foundation well in advance of the event is paramount. Dealers need to give themselves enough time to send out customer surveys that will yield what content is most in demand, notes President John Lowery of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Applied Imaging. The key, according to Lowery, all boils down to focusing on the customer experience.
“Will this make processes easier for the customer? Will this make sense for the customer?” Lowery noted. “Start marketing the event early and tie it around a fun theme. Finally, get your vendors involved as customers appreciate seeing demo items that they may not typically see in a traditional showroom.”
There is no better teacher than experience, and New York City-based Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office has it in spades with the various iterations of its Production & Industrial Print Expo. Its events (which has experienced name changes) have evolved with the targeting of different client sets and technology focus, with some calling for a more intimate gathering (70 decision makers) or a more wide-ranging roundup of 1,200 people.
As such, Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office has modified its approach through the years. It moved away from manual registration to online. It implemented a project management team that took charge of logistics, floor design and other organizational processes. The dealer held highly-structured conference calls on a weekly basis, which became daily affairs in the month’s lead-up to the event.
“It requires a lot of detail and close attention to pull it off,” Weiss said. “This is not for the faint of heart. Like anything else, the more you do it, the better the event will be.”
