Subject: How to make your Realtor Expo successful
Submitted by Kim Gatson
The best way to attract and mobilize more agents, lenders, brokers and office managers to visit
your booth at a Realtor expo is to make your booth interesting, fun and attractive. After all, you
are in the show business once you set up a booth at this type of show. In today's marketplace,
clients are drawn to impressive items and excitement, and turned off by humdrum events. If you
put on a dull show, you will generate little interest.
Instill a show-business mentality by creating an image that makes people smile and lets them
know that they're in for a first-class experience. A great example of people who know how to put
on an entertaining show, are Disney Land employees, who undergo rigorous customer service
training and are famous for their courtesy, cheerfulness and problem-solving skills.
Plan your pre-show marketing strategies; think like you’re putting on an entertaining show.
Everything you do to promote and implement your show must be first-class, creative and
professional. Tell your employees or other franchisees who have committed to host a show with
you to provide enthusiastic and helpful customer service. Unpleasant experiences with trade
show employees or other franchisees can ruin the show biz experience you've worked hard to
create. Set your show up for success by having a pre-expo meeting to determine, and put in
writing, the following:
1) Who do you know with an exciting and outgoing personality, who would be willing to help
man the booth? Keep in mind that at least one inspector needs to help man the booth at all
times to answer questions and be able to sell himself.
2) Once you decide who is participating in the show, get commitments from other inspectors
who have agreed to participate. Create a schedule for who will be responsible for set up and
tear down, and who will man the booth at specific times.
3) Who will call Connie to reserve and pay the $100 rental fee for the tabletop display? Who will
be responsible for receiving the package, storing it and shipping it to the next franchisee?
3) Determine how you will capture the attendees’ business cards (leads) and how they will be
divided and distributed for follow up. This is best done with a drawing, so they will give you their
business card for a chance to win a prize.
4) It is best to have at least one prize winner for each inspector participating. After the business
cards are divided by territory, each inspector can choose a winner and be responsible to pay for
the prize(s) that is given to the winner in their own territory.
Drawings create interest and bring in leads. Having the winning prize available at the show is
ideal, but if you can’t have the prize on site, have a large colorful photo of the prize to draw
attention to your drawing and booth. Ask people to sign up and be excited about the prize so
they will get excited and register their contact info on the entry form. If you are sharing an expo
with other franchisees, please see notes on “How to Run a Successful Show /Expo with
other Franchisees.”
Make your trade shows interactive. When people manipulate objects they often grow an
attachment to them. They get an idea of how the tools work and are more excited about the
possibility of using your services. Set up audio-visual displays: you can rent our large
professional table top display for either GPI or NPI for $100 by calling Connie at NPI Corporate
as soon as you get your expo dates. Set out your fun tools like the moisture meter, gas sniffer
and infrared camera (if you own one). Set up your laptop with a slide show of you inspecting
different items, and/or your report software with several sample reports. These items will help
attendees feel like they are part of the show experience as they learn about your tools.
Put the Internet to work for you. You can interact with potential exhibitors and attendees
through the Internet, both in your pre-show marketing and during the show. Most trade shows
now incorporate the Internet into their booths. If it is available, have your Web site up so you
can show that you have a professionally designed Web site, allowing consumers to easily
access information about property inspections and your services. Today's techno-savvy
Realtors and lenders are instantly turned off by Web sites that are not interesting, easy to
access and informative; this will help set you apart.
Make your show an unforgettable experience. "If meetings are really going to change our
lives, meeting professionals need to begin to shape memorable events," said Jim Gilmour,
author of The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre & Every Business is a Stage. "Successful
meetings must create emotionally based experiences for attendees," Gilmour said. How do you
generate such an experience? Capture the imaginations of attendees by providing pleasant
sights, sounds, aromas and fun, along with a high degree of interactivity. You can create fun at
no cost, by having high-energy personalities work the booth that are willing to step out of their
comfort zone and be fun and enthusiastic, interact and draw people into your booth. This may
be one of the franchisees or a high energy relative or friend willing to inject a little excitement
into the show; you'll have attendees in the palm of your hand.
Make your trade shows fun. Booths filled with inanimate objects like brochures can be boring
and won't capture the attention of your audience. However, if you set up your booth so that
attendees can see everything clearly in an uncluttered and organized space, you will make a
great visual impression. Booths should provide good lighting, easy-to-read signage and
attention-grabbing graphics.
Inject show biz excitement into your advertising and public relations. Without resorting to
hyperbole, your advertising should reflect the excitement, creativity and flavor of your event.
Observe how the producers of movies and Broadway musicals advertise their shows and
incorporate as many of those elements that are feasible in your own advertising. Every ad you
place should showcase the opportunities that your show offers.
Train your most trusted show employees to lead the media to the most engaging exhibits. Have
a staff member on hand at all times who can articulately tell reporters about your event and
what makes it unique.
Remember that you are in show biz, and you must create and promote an event that is as
exciting and dramatic as a great movie or play. Your exhibition space is your stage. In order to
generate interest, you must put on a performance that will keep attendees riveted and eager to
come back for the sequel!
How to Run a Successful Show /Expo with Other Franchisees:
What will the prizes be (keep in mind that you will need a winning prize for each territory)?
Determine how much each participant is willing to pitch in for the prize and who will purchase
the prizes.
Determine ahead of time how the leads will be collected, but more importantly, how they will be
distributed amongst the franchisees.