Orlando, Florida is known for more than being a top tourist destination. Not only is it home to our headquarters, it’s also one of the most popular cities in the country for trade shows! While families may flock to the theme parks, it’s a city full of expos and conventions for exhibitors and attendees. Here are some of the top upcoming Orlando trade shows in 2020:

Surf Expo

January 8-10, 2020 | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando

The 2020 Surf Expo will boast around 2500 exhibitors and more than 28,000 attendees. It’s both the largest and longest-running trade show in the watersports and beach resort lifestyle industries. It displays trade show booths for apparel and goods, new brand and products, fashion events, award ceremonies and more, making it a huge surf industry event. Learn more about the 2020 Surf Expo.

The PGA Merchandise Show

January 21-24, 2020 | Orange County Convention Center

The PGA Merchandise Show draws more than 1,000 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees annually. It is the golf industry’s leading trade-only event, where PGA Professionals & Golf Industry Professionals gather to discover the latest trends in golf tech & equipment, apparel & accessories. Open only for qualified golf industry professionals, visitors can attend the world’s largest outdoor event day. Learn more about the PGA Merchandise Show.

Global Pet Expo

February 26-28, 2020 | Orange County Convention Center

The Global Pet Expo, presented by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and Pet Industry Distributors Association, is the pet industry’s largest annual trade show. The 2019 Show featured 1,174 exhibitors, 3,604 booths and more than 3,000 new product launches. It’s hosted annually at the Orange County Convention Center and features the newest pet products on the market today. Learn more about the 2020 Global Pet Expo.

HIMSS Global Conference & Exhibition

March 9-13, 2020 | Orange County Convention Center

The HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) Global Conference & Exhibition brings together over 1,300 exhibitors and 45,000 attendees. It’s the leading health information and technology conference, and provides over 300 education sessions, networking events, special programs and more on topics relating to health, information, and technology. Learn more about HIMSS20.

The National FCA (Florida Chiropractic Association)

August 27-30, 2020 | Hyatt Regency Orlando

The National FCA 2020 will host an array of over 420 exhibitors and 5,000 attendees. The 2020 expo will focus on providing information to the public about the chiropractic industry as well as providing continued education and networking for its members. It offers over 100 expert speakers and 150 hours of CE options (in panels and breakout sessions) that are accredited in 45 states. Learn more about The National FCA 2020.

IAAPA Expo 2020

November 18-22, 2020 | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando

The IAAPA Expo 2020 will see over 1,000 exhibitors and 38,000 attendees. Hosted by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, it’s an international trade show for attraction industry professionals to exhibit, network, and build business alliances. It also includes learning from the experts in over 100 educational experiences (including behind-the-scenes tours at local Orlando attractions!) Learn more about IAAPA Expo 2020.

I/ITSEC 2020

November 30 – December 4, 2020 | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando

I/ITSEC 2020 will host over 500 exhibitors and 17,000 attendees. Formally known as The Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, this international trade show is also the world’s largest modeling, training, and simulation event. It’s organized by the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA) and offers exhibits, expert speakers, tutorials, professional workshops, STEM events for teachers and students, and a serious games competition. Learn more about I/ITSEC 2020.

There are many definitions and flavors of definitions for what defines a Brand (hint: it’s not your logo). But for the purposes of this article, we’ll use the idea that “brand is a memory”.

Everything you remember about a company – through interaction, what other people say about it, its advertising, its products or any other connection is all to be considered the parts that make up the whole of the brand.

That being said, trade shows and face-to-face marketing events are ideal for creating interactions that engage more of the senses and creating a more enduring “memory” about a company as well as its products and services. These encounters can help to create a brand experience that differentiates the offering from those of competitors – if done right of course.

The “memory” begins at first impressions and is reinforced through interaction and sealed by experience.

Thinking of branding your company through trade show events as a five-step process may be useful in the creation of a program that can take your prospects through the stages from first becoming aware of your brand until ultimately turning into a loyal fan.

The 5 stages are: Position, Attract, Engage, Comprehend, and Remember. These five steps serve both as a sequence of filters as well as a process to win customers.

The 5 Branding Stages As a Filter

As filters, the 5 stages of branding can help you identify if your trade show marketing program is doing the brand and your company justice. By measuring your program against the following criteria, you can begin to troubleshoot where you might be coming up short on creating “memories”:

Position: Are you consistently projecting the right/correct image of your company?

Attract: Is your message attracting the right type of customers and prospects?

Engage: Is the initial introduction to your brand, enriching and interesting?

Comprehend: Do you understand your prospects’ primary and secondary needs and concerns? Do your prospects have a better understanding of your offering and do they understand your value proposition and the way you are different from your competition?

Remember: Do your interactions support the creation of strong bonds, which help recognition and recall at the time of your customers’ or prospects’ time of need? Is there a follow-up process in place to reinforce the memory and keep your brand top-of-mind?

The 5 Branding Stages As a Process

The same 5 stages of branding can also be applied to your company as an actual process, to which you can apply to your trade show marketing program. The end goals and result is to create a memorable experience for your customers and prospects through each phase of your trade show event – pre-show, the event itself and post-show:

Position: The size of your exhibit space, type of environment/architecture, materials used and color schemes are just some of the tools that can be used to communicate your brand’s stature or to differentiate yourself from your competition.

Attract: Your pre-show marketing campaign, the design of the exhibit, the messaging in graphics and your exhibit personnel all serve to reach the type, quality and quantity of the prospects you desire.

Engage: The way you greet and qualify your audience, including scripting and rehearsing opening statements, should be crafted to intrigue and capture the right audience from the outset. Your first engagements go a long way in setting the stage and tone for a meaningful interaction and begin the creation of memory.

Comprehend: The better the comprehension of your products and services, both tangible and intangible attributes that the prospect can experience and understand, the better the memory. The exhibit space and interaction needs to be designed to walk the prospect through a logical process that makes them experience, through multiple senses, your brand and how your offering is the one they need to become a fan of. This is the stage where the brand/memory is reinforced.

Remember: Keeping the memory alive is a continuous challenge and process. The seeds of your brand that have been sown in the previous stages need to be watered and nurtured to create top-of-mind recall at the time of need. Having a post-event follow-up process that leverages the positive impressions created during the trade show, is a must in creating the ROI or ROO objectives that are demanded of marketing departments.

Your process should include a post-show follow-up schedule that is appropriate to the requirements and needs of your audience and industry. This will include follow-up calls, information packages, advertising and visits that will brand and deliver revenues.

If “Brand is a Memory”, trade shows, with their unique ability for prospects to actually experience your message do just that – create memories that build your brand.

Like to find out how our team can help build your brand and create memories for your clients and prospects? Give us a shout, our trained professionals will be happy to guide you to a loyal following!

In our article, “Branding Memories Through Trade Shows“, we discussed the idea that your “brand is a memory”. Everything your customers and prospects remember about your company through interaction, its products, its advertising, etc. contribute to making up the whole of your “brand” to create that lasting impression – be it positive or not.

In addition, we discussed the role of trade show marketing and experiential marketing in creating and reinforcing positive memories in the minds of your target audience. Just about no place else puts more prospects in direct contact with your products, marketing, and sales team…

Indeed, “face-to-face” events can be very powerful in solidifying your brand experience and creating a lasting impression.

Creating Memorable Face-to-Face Marketing Events

When creating an events program, (trade shows, special events, mobile marketing etc.) consider the creation of a “Brand Memory Identity”. A Brand Memory Identity, as we define it, is a description of the ideal memory your customer should have of your brand. And should be developed as one of your first phases of trade show and event planning.

Customers and prospects who experience and are properly exposed to your “Brand Memory Identity” will be further along the path to becoming a dedicated, brand-loyal customer. This is someone who wouldn’t imagine buying a similar product or service from a competing brand and preaches your excellence to others. These same customers will be willing to pay a premium for your products and services, as they see a greater value for themselves when aligned with your brand.

What Solidifies Your “Ideal Brand Memory”?

In order to solidify your Ideal Brand Memory with customers, they need to be exposed to the proper experience which can be created with your trade show marketing program and events marketing initiatives.

Our brains have three different memory systems. One is called semantic memory which remembers factual knowledge. The second is called procedural memory and enables us to develop skills and habits. The third is called episodic memory, which consists of memories of who we are, our values, dreams and self-conception.

Your Brand Memory Identity should be constructed to include all three of these systems. You may want to emphasize one system over the other depending upon your products, services and what your competitors’ brands are like.

By tailoring your trade show experience to touch all three parts of the human memory system, you help create the Ideal Brand Memory for your customer or prospect.

The Advantage of Face-to-Face Marketing Programs

Face-to-face marketing programs have a definite advantage over other types of marketing by having the ability to create and control THE experience. The key is choosing and designing the proper balance of your presentations to address the three memory systems:

• The facts & data surrounding your products/services
• How your products/services will help improve your customers’ quality of life
• How your products/services will make your customers “feel”
• How well their own pain points are addressed and tended to

Of course, knowing your target audience and delivering the right message in the best context will define the success of your programs.

In conclusion, by creating a “Brand Memory Identity” you are actually starting from the end intended result and working backwards. This helps & serves as the road map to manage the processes and thoughts that go into creating your message, environments and experiences. And the delivery, of course, relates directly to meeting your company’s branding ROI and ROO objectives.

If you need help connecting your brand to your prospects and customers through face-to-face trade show events, our seasoned professionals can help. We’ve assisted some of the world’s largest brands in bringing their message to their customers and we can do the same for you!