Yesterday, I had to get some repairs done on my vehicle. While I waited, I decided to walk over to the local mall to knock out some Christmas shopping. It turned out to be an interesting experience. It was late morning and the mall was still pretty empty. It was very surreal walking through an empty American mall in the heart of the Christmas season. All of the merchandise was neatly displayed with 40-60% discounts all around. As a marketer, it was sad to see all of these companies struggling to drive attention and sales towards their brands. I even saw a lonely Santa sitting perfectly still, waiting for children to get their picture taken with him. Talk about sad.
Later in the day, I made it over to Chipotle for lunch and the place was packed. I really love Chipotle, so good and fresh. There were a few other great stores that were packed and doing well, while the local Linen's N Things was five days away from becoming a part of history. Make no mistake, the environment for marketers is very challenging right now. I saw it first hand yesterday. However, there is plenty of opportunity out there for great brands.
What does this have to do with my trade show marketing blog? I think there is plenty to be learned from a business like Chipotle. Lessons that we can apply to our trade show marketing efforts. Walking around the mall, I realized the day of being average is over. Today's retailers better have a clear idea of who they are, what their brand is about, and deliver tremendous value to their customers. The brands that can do this are going to seize a great opportunity in the coming years.
Just like retailers, we have to do this at our trade show events. As you prepare for a show, know who you are, know why you are going, prepare a unique message and make sure you are delivering real value to current and future customers.
