October 2006 / Issue 12
Show Shakedown
Global Pet Expo and Your Computer
Senior Vice President, APPMA
My first day at APPMA was December 1, 1997. In those days, the trade show was in June so APPMA was half-way through the selling cycle for the 1998 show. One of the first things I did was look for a copy of the exhibitor prospectus to see how the show was sold. There was no prospectus; information for potential exhibitors was copied onto a few sheets of different colored paper that were stapled together and mailed. The information focused on rules and regulations. It didn’t look anything like a sales piece.
Times have changed. The 2007 Exhibitor Prospectus that was sent to you by FedEx was a four-color, six-panel folder filled with statistics and information to help a manufacturer make an educated decision about participating in the Show. You could send in your booth application with a check or pay by credit card. You also could go to www.globalpetexpo.org and purchase a booth on-line. This is the second year that booths could be purchased on-line and more than 40% of exhibitors are taking advantage of this option to purchase booth space.
As you all know, the internet has become an integral part of how companies conduct business. Global Pet Expo is no exception. In addition to on-line booth space applications, the Trade Show Marketing Kit is available exclusively on-line. The 2007 New Products Showcase is also web-based. Exhibitors enter their products on-line and buyers will be able to view the New Products Showcase on their computers before they travel to the show in Orlando.
I’m sure you are all familiar with the Exhibitor Services Manual. It is an overwhelming book the size of most cities’ phone book. Order forms for all the services you need are included in the book. Starting a few years ago, exhibitors have access to an on-line version of the Exhibitor Services Manual. You could open an on-line account with GES, our general services contractor, and order everything you need for the show on their website. In 2007, the paper manual will be replaced by a CD Rom version. You’ll have access to all the same information that you had with the paper version and a few trees will be saved in the process.
To continue our journey toward a paperless Global Pet Expo, we are planning a major change to the 2008 Exhibitor Prospectus. Instead of sending you a paper prospectus in May of 2007, the entire prospectus will be available at www.globalpetexpo.org. At a predetermined date and time, the booth sales portion of the website will go live. Every member will be able to get to the application at the same time to reserve a booth. The Priority Points System will remain in place. For those of you who still want to submit paper forms, you will be able to download the application and fax or mail it to our office.
This is a major change in how we conduct the business of the trade show and to how you have grown accustomed to reserving booth space. But don’t worry; in the months after the 2007 show, we will communicate information of this change to you by mail, fax and email. We won’t let you forget that this change is taking place. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this or anything else related to Global Pet Expo, please contact me at Andy@appma.org or 203-532-3606.