palmexpoThe event....
Event Name: Palm Expo Mumbai
Organiser: Diversified Business Communications
Date: 2 - 4 June 2011
Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre
Official Visitor Numbers: 13,500 (unaudited)
Event Description: Palm Expo is a platform for the professional audio and creative technical industries to showcase their products and services
ROBEThe exhibitor....
Exhibitor Name: Robe Lighting
Company Overview: Manufacturer of moving and digital lighting products for the entertainment, architectural and themed environment industries
Industry Sector: Lighting manufacture
Total amount of yearly marketing budget spent on live marketing: 50%
Exhibitor Objectives
Czech Republic-based Robe Lighting really enjoys shining the spotlight on its range of products at an exhibition or live event. Having many distributors that use its products range, Robe even sends its team along to exhibitions to support them while they exhibit – that’s how much Robe likes live marketing!
“By the end of this year alone, Robe Lighting will probably have had a presence at between 10 and 15 shows,” said marketing manager Jiri Baros. “But that number will increase when we include the amount of local shows
we attend to support our distributors in their own countries.”
Robe especially views live marketing as a key component when launching new products. The chance to tell people about the products and get them in their hands proves invaluable to the brand.
“I can’t divulge figures, but in both 2009 and 2010 we spent over-proportionally in order to see the business through the economic turmoil,” added Baros. “Now we control the spend in that area, and the quality of an
exhibition matters more now. Thankfully we find most shows deliver good audiences, which is why we still exhibit at so many.”
Flicking the switch on
Robe Lightning ExhibitingThis year Robe has been especially keen to impart information about its sustainability strategy to the public. “We’ve introduced a ‘Think of the Future – Consider Nature’ proposition,” said Baros. This includes launching environmentally friendly products and teaching others how to be ‘green’ in their approach to using lighting products.
With that in mind it joined one of its distributors, Integrated Entertainment Solutions (IES), at the Palm Expo Mumbai. The two companies hosted an 81sqm stand, with Baros and three colleagues joining IES MD Rasesh Parekh and his team.
As well as allowing Robe to unleash its ‘green’ message, being in Mumbai allowed it to expand its market intelligence of the local business scene and cement its relationship with IES. “By visiting different countries, you can improve your knowledge of a local market and maybe see ways that you can try and conquer it,” said Baros.
Palm Expo represented a three per cent slice of IES’s yearly marketing budget. It split the costs down as: 60 per cent on the space, 30 per cent on the stand and 10 per cent on sustenance and accommodation etc.
The exhibiting presence took shape about three months away from the show opening, which is great as it is important to build in time in case any of any problems.
Both companies took to social media platforms to push out their presence at the show. To date, Robe has nearly 2,000 followers on Facebook and has launched a Twitter account to increase its avenues to market.
Searchlight
Robe Stand at Palm ExpoPalm Expo Mumbai attracted several thousand visitors, and the calibre impressed Baros: “We got to meet visual and stage designers, engineers, programmers, venue managers and key players in other professional industries.”
Robe and IES used a variety of ways to attract people over to their stand. Situated on the stand was a cocktail bar, which hosted a bartender and daily happy hours to attract visitors onto the stand. “We also had three people walking around the venue with fully branded, illuminated promotional orbs above their heads,” Baros added.
The team also held an offsite gathering for clients and visitors, promoting it as a ‘must-attend’ event, but holding it after the end of the first day of the event and thus not clashing with the organisers’ official exhibitor party.
“Next year I think we may add more interactive content onto our stand,” mused Baros.
Bright Future
Between them, Robe and IES registered around 500 ‘hot leads’, of which 30 have since become clients or partners. The stand also bore witness to almost 40 business meetings across the three days, which Baros claimed “at least 25 of which concluded with positive decisions of various note.”
“The products we’ve sold since the event closed that can be traced back to our presence have been of high value and have delivered around €50,000,” said Baros. “Since our market appears to be maturing, we’ll be continuing to create interest and awareness of our products at live events and worry about closing the potential sales after the doors shut.”
And the business generated at the show helps pay for the presence in any case, according to Baros: “If you look at the actual numbers, the sales garnered from this show recovered at least 50% of our expenses straightaway, and the balance amount will be recovered over the next few months from other enquiries generated at the show.”
Baros is also happy with the amount of exposure all the products and brands gained too: “Some people forget to take on board the incredible boost that live events give to brand awareness, confidence building and bonhomie generated by their presence. This is truly a gain besides sales as we feel that sales can only be achieved if we have the right combination.
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