P: 877.447.5429
October 12 – October 14, 2010
McCormick Place – Chicago, IL
The Motivation Show, held at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, is the premier annual event of the incentive industry. Attendees are corporate end-buyers from the sales/marketing, human resources, and meeting/event planning industries, who are responsible for managing incentive, recognition and meeting programs for their employees, channel partners and customers. The exhibitors display the most popular brand-name merchandise, incentive travel, gift cards, and online services. The focus is to showcase those products and services used in incentive and recognition programs that help motivate employees and consumers, boost sales, and increase market share. Peter Erickson, Managing Director of The Motivation Show, reported buyer registration totaled 7,181, a modest 4% decline from 2009. Total registration was just over 10,000.
The main goals for exhibiting at this show remain the same as previous years:
Our goals and objectives were met by meeting with existing and potential partners at the booth, at breakfast/lunch appointments and at the nightly events which included an after hours networking function hosted by Intelispend (formerly AEIS) on Tuesday; and Incomm on Wednesday. These combined meetings and events contributed to the success of meeting our goals – to reinforce/grow existing relationships with the partners we talk with on the phone daily and uncover new sales opportunities. We collected over 100 new leads, which will be fully researched.
We increased the booth size this year to a 20×20 island space, with 13 brands represented. The island space allowed for traffic to approach from all sides. Four “conference” areas allowed for regular meetings. The exhibiting brands included Sunglass Hut, Jiffy Lube, Sally Beauty Supply, The Bon-Ton Stores, The Orvis Company, CharityChoice, Sears, Kmart, Dave & Buster’s, Regis Salons, Boscov’s, and Landry’s Restaurants. Each of the brands stood out with their own unique graphics among the standard trade show displays at the show.
The Exhibition Hall was open Wednesday, October 13, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Thursday, October 14 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm – a decrease of one day from last year. The new two-day format contributed to strong hall traffic on Wednesday, with the second day tapering off by early afternoon. In advance of the show, we ‘evited’ all partners to stop by our booth prepared to discuss 4Q initiatives and ways to increase gift card sales in 2011. We scheduled partner meetings at various time slots throughout the day to keep a steady flow of visitors. We also had some light refreshments at the booth which served as an inviting touch. We also utilized the Facetime Appointment Scheduler, launched this year by show organizers. Overall the tool generated nearly 3,000 appointment requests. Stoner Bunting found the system to be useful to easily contact potential buyers and secure meeting times, however, we had more success with our “evite” approach. To increase booth traffic, we posted regularly on social media outlets before, during, and after the show:
Specifically we engaged attendees/followers with the following messages:
At the booth, an “Enter to Win” Gift Card Giveaway encouraged the collection of leads by all attendees stopping by the booth. Thanks to the contribution by each of the 11 exhibiting brands, we awarded over $600 in gift cards to a lucky winner! We also had several promotional items to distribute to attendees. Six Stoner Bunting representatives provided full coverage of the booth, allowing each to spend quality time with visitors on a one-on-one or team basis. In addition to Stoner Bunting personnel, this year eight of our clients chose to spend their time and own resources to be a part of the show. Each client who attended took an active role in the discussions and was able to gain a better understanding and perspective of specific programs by asking pertinent questions directly to the partner contact. Many in depth discussions were made possible by the personal focus and attention given by the Stoner Bunting team and clients to the qualified visitors at the booth. The presence of so many clients representing a total of over 50 brands combined may have also attracted the large number of big buyers to our booth.
On Tuesday, the day before the opening of the show, the IGCC (Incentive Gift Card Council) and IMA (Incentive Marketing Association) held their annual meetings. Topics discussed were targeted to incentive buyers, sellers, re-sellers and merchant brands. The IGCC speaker discussed the role of open- and closed- loop gift cards and the benefits of using both methods to increase sales and trial. A reception followed providing the opportunity for attendees to network.
Business cards from new and existing buyers collected from the show have been entered into a database and will be followed up with an email blast/phone calls. Information about ordering gift cards for the 4th quarter will be sent to the new leads. We will also follow up specific ‘next steps’ for our clients in active partner programs and discuss positioning for 2011. We will also be keeping a close watch on anything related to virtual gift cards as that seemed to be a reoccurring theme with attendees – electronic e-mail-able gift cards, mobile gift cards, online gift card malls – delivering both virtual and/or physical gift cards, social media gift card shopping, gift cards used as currency for purchases with merchants other than originating gift card merchant. There are so many new opportunities for merchants to navigate which is good news for those who have already entered the virtual gift card space. If interested, Stoner Bunting can help you get on board and be ready for the new wave of revenue generating partnerships. They may be start-ups now, but now is the best time for the most beneficial partnership terms.
We had a very successful show experience due to Stoner Bunting’s strategic planning to maximize exposure at this important industry show. Several components contributed to our success: the co-op participation of great brands, a highly visible location with outstanding displays, ‘Enter to Win’ Gift Card Giveaway, the Stoner Bunting team who worked diligently to provide ample coverage at the booth plus the contribution of the eight clients who also worked the show. The Motivation Show continues to be a grand venue to feature and keep your brand top of mind to Incentive and Motivation professionals, including both attendees and other exhibitors. Face-to-face, personal meetings with key partners are invaluable in reinforcing relationships and relationships are the building blocks of solid partnerships. Whether at the booth, at breakfast, lunch or at a networking event, the Stoner Bunting team took advantage of every opportunity to discuss your brand. We met with some of the biggest buyers representing billions of dollars in gift card sales, each one targeted by our special ‘evite’. These partners included: Great Lakes Scrip, United Scrip, The Manna Group, Carlson, Maritz, Intelispend, Discover, Affinion, Consumer Benefits, Blackhawk, Incomm, Walgreens, MyPoints, Incentium, GiftCardIS.com, Globoforce, Hinda, Helix, GiftCertificates.com, OC Tanner, Rymax and many others. We will develop the leads and contacts generated from this show to continue to grow your gift card business.
*The 2011 Motivation Show is scheduled for October 4-6 in the same venue.
322 North Arch Street
LAncaster, PA 17603
giftcards@stonerbunting.com
877.447.5429
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