When brand and sales merge at the trade fair. Or: How does the trade fair stand become the ultimate lead machine?
Panalpina
Lead machine: When brand and sales merge at the trade fair.
Who is
From pillboxes to oil rigs, Panalpina moves pretty much everything that needs to be somewhere in the world at a certain place at a certain time. 15,000 employees in 80 countries at the listed Swiss company ensure that customers from 11 segments receive the individual solutions that keep their supply chains running.
Or: When silos become real units
Over the years, Panalpina has succeeded in transforming trade fair participations from pure image events into lead generation events. And in doing so, it has proven that trade fairs can be used for leads, brand, sales and global team building.
“The fairconcept team supported us conceptually, creatively, strategically and in the implementation – absolutely recommendable.”
Andine Wahlmann
Marketing Manager
Challenge
The task at Panalpina was clearly defined: Each trade fair participation had to pay for itself within 2 years. This meant that the concepts placed a strong focus on visitor marketing: new, previously unknown target customers were to be inspired to visit the stand. There they met a highly trained team that was able to identify corresponding needs and qualify visitors as leads. In the post-fair business, further processing followed and visitors could ideally be converted into customers.
Clicking questions
- How do you motivate unknown target customers to visit your stand?
- How do you train a team from 20 countries to uniform standards within a short time?
- What is the common theme that runs from the first announcement 6 months before the fair to the follow-up after the fair?
- How do you set up a lead management system that documents, qualifies and measurably follows up on visitor contacts?
Solution
We always started with the common theme: A story that forms the framework for all media in the phases before, during and after the trade fair, that conveys messages and topics and at the same time stands out from the usual uniformity in B2B communication. Attention and reach are important.
The story was used in the following media: save the date, analogue and digital invitations, ads and advertorials in trade magazines, landing pages, exhibition stand, special forms of advertising on the exhibition site, stand parties, clothing for the stand team, etc.
By systematically recording leads and evaluating them, we were able to compare Panalpina’s various trade fair participations and thus draw conclusions about visitor numbers and visitor quality in relation to the story and budget. We were also able to monitor and document target achievement.
Volker Böhringer says
“I would certainly not want to miss the opportunity to thank you and your team.
and your team, also on behalf of our group management. Your assignment was the complete supervision of the project. Your consistent orientation towards our
requirements, the great commitment and also the
expert criticism have made our first trade fair appearance a complete success. We are happy to be at your disposal as a reference for customer enquiries on your part.”
Headline Video
Live Content
Conception of exhibition stands
You need a stand concept that you can give to your stand builder or put out to tender. A concept that enables you not to have to compare apples and oranges in purchasing, but rather your perfect stand concept in order to be able to implement it with the best partner for it.
Analog solutions
Communication concept around the trade fair appearance
The following also applies to the trade fair: facts bore, emotions attract people. Exhibitors are therefore looking for a creative central idea that guides them through the phases before, during and after the fair and is the supporting story on their stand.
Applied services
Analog solutions
Tender for exhibition stands
You want to buy your perfect stand concept in the best possible way and need professional support for the tender.
Analog solutions
Trade fair training for analogue use
Trade fairs are more important than ever in a digital B2B world. Especially here, many digital leads can be met in person in a short time. Preparing the team for this and getting them on board can be done digitally, but the day before, it’s time to get down to business.
This is
us
We are Anna Esche, Lars Lockemann and a large, dedicated team. For more than 21 years, we have been designing B2B trade fair participations with brains and passion, where the focus is on people. Bringing products in need of explanation closer to the appropriate target groups, that is our speciality. We work for our clients strategically and operationally, over many years or on a project basis. Or both. Nationally and internationally.
From the very beginning, we have thought of trade fairs differently. Today, we think of all B2B live communication differently: integrative, situational and always people-oriented. Because people buy from people.