This March, our Hill & Partners team packed up the gear and headed out to Las Vegas for a trade show where the tables would be turned and we would be the ones exhibiting! Every year, Las Vegas holds the Exhibitor World Conference for those companies and brands who normally do all the behind the scenes work for shows just like this one.  It was our turn to show ‘em what we’ve got!

Over the course of a few months, our team worked hard to create a booth and theme that helped tell our story, which is “Our People Become Your People.” With a creative yet simple and clean look, the booth welcomed many new visitors and allowed us to have meaningful conversations with potential new clients.

Seven people from Hill & Partners attended the show, and seven people had their own experience. We sent around a little Q&A to get an idea of how it was for each person.

1. So, what did it feel like for you to have the tables turned? You guys are always the ones behind the scenes, now you were front and center!

Michael McMahon, CEO- Excellent learning experience.  I could understand that the exhibitor wants to influence, must control or be conscious of the time they have, and be effective throughout the process.  Teamwork really improves your showing.  Post-show “touches” are so important.  We should spend more time with existing clients consulting about ROI,  which can be influenced by preshow & post-show activity.

Matt Johnson, Account Manager- It was fun and very helpful to see what our clients go through each and every show.  It gives me a greater appreciation of what exhibitors endure while on the show floor.  With this experience it was easy to understand the importance of a well designed and functional booth for overall success of a trade show.

Marisa Pacheco, Designer/ Marketing Coordinator- I don’t go to many trade shows but I can speak from a design and marketing point of view. I actually felt more pressure in preparing everything for the show. At the show watching everything be set up and all the little details I definitely have more respect for the project managers as well as a sense of pride for the whole H&P team – we really came together and made our vision a reality.

2. Did you have any unexpected obstacle/ challenges or was everything well planned out?

Amy Connery, Office Manager – Well, everything was well planned out but there are always things that happen that you do not expect to happen. For instance, the glass jars got smashed in shipping so we had to find a Walmart and buy new ones.  Fresh flowers, which I assumed I could get anywhere in Vegas, were a lot harder to find than expected. No florists are open on Sundays and even the hotel’s concierge was not helpful in assisting me to find them. It all worked out in the end as we found a florist the morning the show opened and were able to get them to the booth in time.

Danielle DeBenedictis, Project Manager – Besides the unplanned foot pain from standing for 5 hours and walking about a mile to and from the convention center in heels each day, there were no unexpected obstacles, everything was well planned. But of course, Hill & Partners plans for these kinds of things for a living, so of course it was well planned!

3. You guys went big on the “Chew on This” campaign. What was your inspiration behind that?

Mark Holme, Creative Director – The inspiration behind the campaign was to have customers “chew on this”, to think about the climate and their resources or lack of, and how “Our People Become Your People”, truly becoming an integral part of their team. This tied into our gum giveaway as well, which carried our branding and call to action on the packaging.  It was a natural give-away and conversation starter that engaged customers. It was reinforced in the exhibit through actual customer quotes about working with us, highlighting their brands and what we have done for them.

Chris Odlum, New Business Development - The “Chew on this” campaign was a very fun and intriguing way to gain buzz around the show floor. Our team wanted to come up with a giveaway that was memorable for the attendee and that would keep us top of mind throughout the show. The gum idea really worked out with “Chew on this” since we wanted the attendees to find out more about our company.

4. What do you think makes H&P stand out from other exhibits that were at the show?

Amy Connery- On top of having a cool booth, we are a friendly, approachable and fun group and after talking with us for just a few minutes you can clearly get a feel for how we would continue to interact with you if we were to gain your business.

Marisa Pacheco- We definitely had the friendliest and most approachable staff – they were attentive and aware but not overdoing it. They were also good at judging if attendees had a need or were just passing by.

Chris Oldum- I think H&P had a very clear direction of what we wanted to accomplish at the show. Our booth was very clean, sophisticated, and cutting edge compared to everyone else that was in our section. That isn’t the easiest thing to do in a 10×20 space but I think we were able to pull it off. That paired with our hardworking team made us stand out.

5. Was the show successful for you in terms of new business?

Amy Connery- Time will tell. We implemented a “touches program” that was deliberate in reaching out to those prospects that came by our booth. We created this program based on the information Marisa learned at the conference she attended and the stats given on how many times you should be reaching out to prospects after a show (after the 5th touch 80% respond).

Matt Johnson- We had a lot of traffic to our booth.  There were many attendees that came to our booth with the sole intention of talking to us.  That was great to see.  We came away from the show with several strong leads, but also with a greater appreciation of what a trade show experience should be…

What was your favorite thing to do to pass the time? We all know those long days of trade show can really take its toll.

Mark Holme- There wasn’t a lot of free time, but I enjoyed taking in all the design elements Vegas had to offer, from the casino and hotel materials and finishes to the great restaurants and food. We enjoyed an open air bus ride to an evening event with a great Elvis impersonator on board, who entertained us and made us laugh, and have a true Vegas moment.

Danielle DeBenedictis - Luckily the show hours were fairly short each day, only 4 hours. I tried to hand out a lot of gum packs and make contact with as many passer-bys as possible. Amy and I also did a business card drawing each hour and then I would instantly post the winners on our Facebook and Twitter pages. The days went by pretty quickly.

Matt Johnson- To be honest, most of the time seemed to quickly pass.  When people are constantly visiting your booth, and you are talking to people one after another, the day quickly passes.  My favorite thing to do to pass time was to walk the show floor and see what other exhibitors were doing and what new products were being offered.

For more on what the Exhibitor 2011 Show was like for Hill & Partners, check out our feed on Twitter and Facebook!