Question

Topic: Student Questions

Feedback From An International Marketing Expert?

Posted by s3582857 on 10/19/2019 at 5:11 AM ET 250 Points
Hello,

I'm an Australian student who is studying my first semester of International Business. I'm looking for some feedback from professionals in the international marketing field, as part of the rubric for my assessment. The feedback I'm seeking is regarding the draft versions of the action plans I have developed as part of a marketing report I have written about the Blackmores exhibition at the 2019 CIIE Trade show in Shanghai.

I have outlined two separate action plans. One is in the form of a Gantt chart, the other is a schedule. The summary, as quoted by my rubric, is to:

Action plan 1: The first action plan required is to schedule what activities need to be done before the trade show. This should be done using a Gantt chart to include timelines and costs that are realistic and consistent with budget resources.

Action plan 2: The second action plan will be developed for any promotional activities during the tradeshow. This must include cultural aspects.

Link to the plans: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UOnYcrkLXTfNjySSlPUju9xnPbghAv-5VGOzGNQ...

Any constructive feedback on additions, subtractions, configurations or structure/presentation changes in the drafts would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 10/19/2019 at 7:46 PM Accepted
    Action Plan 1: It would seem that the #1 goal is to make sales through the tradeshow booth. What's unclear is how much effort/research you've done to optimize your booth's effect (and even to determine if a booth is the best way to reach your target audience). Missing from the plan is post-show followup. How will you close the sales cycle? What metrics will you collect to guide the next tradeshow effort? If you had a tiny budget (consider you're a startup), how would your approach be different? What outcomes would you expect?

    Action Plan 2: If you're looking to simply do a "usual booth event", then you'll likely get average results. I don't see any effort for training the booth staff, learning any best practices, studying past booth activities, etc. Are you planning to have any other activities (sponsored talks, parties, etc.)? Are you thinking about any cross-marketing opportunities?
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 10/21/2019 at 11:59 AM Accepted
    Totally agree with Jay. There should be a specific goal (something like number of sales made or number of Sales Qualified Leads gained) for the show, which should be stated. Then every activity you do should be aimed at achieving that goal.

    On the costs, there are usually a lot of costs related to a trade show booth which don't seem to be captured. You already have lines for shipping and assembly/dismantling, which likely have costs that can be estimated. I've not done a show in Singapore, but other shows have had costs for rental furniture, rental lead scanner, electricity, internet, marketing package (an ad in the show catalog/web site), carpet, etc. If you go to the Exhibitor Services web site for the trade show, you can get a lot of this. Note there is usually a discount to reserving this stuff a 4-6 weeks before, which is worth getting. The shipping costs you would get by talking with your shipping company and giving them a size and weight estimate of what you will be shipping.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/23/2019 at 2:34 PM Accepted
    Let me suggest you pick up a copy of Ruth Stevens's book "TRADE SHOW AND EVENT MARKETING." It contains everything you should need when it comes to preparing for the show.
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