Years ago websites started posting FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions – as a way of helping those on the site seeking answers to a variety of items. Somehow I felt that FAQ meant ‘Frequently ANSWERED Questions’ because that was the point: Answer the freakin’ questions! But sometimes the questions that you WANTED to ask never got answered. So therefore you never saw those questions show up in an FAQ list.

But if you think about it, there are a lot of Frequently ASKED Questions that go unanswered. Or maybe in this case they’re INFrequently Asked Questions. Either way, it presents an opportunity to see what some of those questions are…

Maybe you have answers for these?

What’s the theme song for a tradeshow manager?
How much sleep will I get when I’m in Vegas for the show? Will it matter?
Why do attendees ask such dumb questions? And why did my parents try to convince me that there’s no such thing as a stupid question?
Will the airlines ever actually give me a decent meal again in my lifetime?
What has the charge for extra luggage gone up to since the last time I booked a flight?
Where’s my freakin’ exhibit!?? It should have been here yesterday!
Why did I leave most of my business cards back at the office?
Why did I let my spouse convince me that since the show is in Anaheim we should double up, bring the kids and tag a couple of extra days on the trip at Disneyland?
How will I ever get away with giving my list of uncategorized leads to the sales department without them getting totally ticked at me?
Why is it that the most uncomfortable shoes I have are the ones I brought to wear all day at the show?
Where are those receipts I need for my expense report?
Why do those graphics look crappy here at the show when they looked fine at the office?
Where are our product samples?
Why does our hired ‘professional’ presenter have such bloodshot eyes?
The C-level celebrity wants HOW MUCH to appear at our booth?!
The drayage bill was HOW MUCH?!
You’re not going to put THAT photo on Facebook, are you?
Why didn’t you tell me the CEO was coming?
Can you make that espresso a double?
Can you make that martini a double?

No doubt you can add your own questions to our Exhibitor’s FAQ…feel free!

June 1, 2010

Goin’ Mobile with Your Tradeshow Apps

Pete Townshend had it right when he penned ‘Goin’ Mobile’ at the turn of the Sixties:

I can pull up by the curb
I can make it on the road
Goin’ mobile
I can stop in any street
Invitin’ people that we meet
Goin’ mobile
Keep me movin’

We’ve been a mobile society for decades. But in the past few years we have started taking our computers on the road.

Smartphones sales jumped almost 50% in the first quarter of 2010, selling about 53.4 million phones in the quarter. Uh-huh. That’s a lotta damn smartphones! In fact, it appears that there will be more smartphones sold in 2010 than personal computers. Which begs the question: are you ready for the smartphone? As a marketer – and specifically, as a tradeshow marketer – are your customers able to find you and interact with you via the smartphone? And what does your website look like on a smartphone?

Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting apps you might use in conjunction with tradeshows.

First, there are apps that are specifically built just for tradeshows, such as iLeads and Follow Me.

You can access the iLeads podcast here and the Follow Me podcast here.

Both have great application on the tradeshow floor and are worth a close look.

In searching for apps that you might use at a tradeshow, event or convention, I came across a few blog posts that covered some very usable apps.

Corbin Ball’s post ‘Meetings and Tradeshows – There’s a Mobile App for That!’ has the most comprehensive list I’ve seen.

Eric Lukazewski of Echelon Design Inc came up with a shortlist of ‘5 iPhone Apps for Your Next Tradeshow’.

I haven’t used a business card reader, so I’ll have to check that out (although the one he linked to had a handful of negative reviews – so I’m going to look further). And the Whiteboard Capture Pro looks quite interesting. Again, I’ll take a look.

One more link: ‘7 iPhone Apps to Make Your Next Trade Show More Profitable’ by Matt Gratt at iPhonecto.com has a nice little list with links direct to the iTunes store. He mentions Tweetdeck, LinkedIn, and a business card reader as well.

The great thing about iPhone apps is that most of them are dirt cheap, so the entry cost, even for a ‘pro’ version is often only a few bucks – maybe the cost of a coffee drink or two.

Gear up your iPhone, Blackberry or Android…and go mobile:

I don’t care about pollution
I’m an air-conditioned gypsy
That’s my solution
Watch the police and the tax man miss me…I’m mobile!

June 2010

20 Tradeshow Exhibitor FAQs