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critical mass
your show strategy
Follow these tips to maximize your investment in The Super
Floral Show.
by Bob Callahan
Next month, many of you will be attending The Super Floral
Show in Atlanta, Ga., June 10-12, at the Georgia World
Congress Center. In a time when return on investment is more
critical than ever, we want to help you get the most out of your
trip. Here is a helpful preshow to post-show checklist to follow
that will ensure you get the most out of The Super Floral Show.
plan
ahead
This sounds basic. But often, attendees get off the plane, head
to the convention center, pick up their badges and head out onto
the floor without a plan. At the end of the day, they panic
because they have covered only a few aisles of the show floor.
To help plan your visit, there are a variety of tools on our Web
site,
www.superfloralshow.com, you can use to make the
show productive for you.
• SFS Matchmaker.
A preshow online matchmaking system allows preregistered buyers
to find current and new suppliers, set appointments and map
their visit to the exhibit hall to find what they are looking
for.
• New Product Newsletter.
Buyers have told us their primary purpose for attending SFS is
to find new products. Our Web site and new product newsletter
sort out companies offering new products.
• Comprehensive exhibitor list.
View exhibitors by company, product category and state.
while in atlanta
SFS provides opportunities to network, learn the latest trends,
plan next year’s programs and become inspired by all the
products available for you to bring back to your company. Here
are a few things to take advantage of while in Atlanta.
• Networking.
Whether during show hours or in the evening, networking provides
you the opportunity to learn what your competitors are doing,
what your suppliers are offering, what old friends and
colleagues are up to, and what is selling and what is not.
• Welcome Breakfast.
Wednesday’s Welcome Breakfast, open to all, is a time to catch
up with old friends and colleagues while enjoying floral
designers participating in a lighthearted competition to create
the best floral design using randomly selected exhibitor
products.
• Comprehensive education program.
This year’s education program is designed to assist you in
overcoming the challenges presented in the current economy.
• Buyer Walkabout.
From 8 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, buyers receive an exclusive
opportunity to preview all the show floor has to offer before
exhibitor personnel arrive at 9:30 a.m. and the floor officially
opens at 10 a.m.
• Private meetings with suppliers.
Buyers are eligible to receive a complimentary meeting room to
get together with current and potential suppliers for reviewing
products and programs in a private setting.
post-show
It is important to come back to the office with a plan on how to
implement the information gathered at the show. I recommend
writing a post-show report you can share with upper management
and your staff. Your post-show report should include the
following.
• Executive summary.
Executives will want a brief overview of the show that includes
reasons for attending, strategy and results.
• Goals and objectives.
Review your goals and objectives for attending the show, and
evaluate whether or not you achieved them. This analysis can be
objective, such as measuring how many meetings you attended, new
companies you visited or new products you saw.
• New products seen.
The Super Floral Show will have hundreds of new products and
ideas. Highlight those you would like to see implemented in your
operation.
• Industry intelligence.
Include a summary of any important conversations you had
regarding what your competitors will be doing in the near
future.
• Recommendations.
Design a follow-up strategy for implementing the new products
and ideas picked up at the show. Recommend a timeline for vendor
meetings and product rollouts.
Navigating The Super Floral Show properly can save you a year’s
worth of valuable time meeting and negotiating with vendors and
sourcing new products. But remember, the key to your success is
proper preparation.
Critical Mass offers experts in the floral business a
monthly forum to express their views on a variety of topics of
importance to the industry. These viewpoints are not intended to
reflect the opinions of anyone at Super Floral Retailing
or Florists' Review Enterprises, Inc.
Bob Callahan is director of The Super Floral Show. Reach him
at (207) 842-5592 or
bcallahan@divcom.com.
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Super Floral Retailing • Copyright 2009
Florists' Review Enterprises, Inc. | |
