Education and training was a big topic at this year’s 5P Expo (International Forum of the Exhibition Industry) and the IFES Convention and AGM in Moscow in June. Karla Juegel, an international consultant, coach and trainer with more than 30 years experience in the exhibition industry, gave the keynote speech, titled: ‘Affordable luxury – how training can enhance our industry’. It’s been the basis of many of her recent appearances, including UFI’s June Open Seminar in Hamburg, Germany.
Juegel used her platform at the event to lay out a general structure on where, how and who should support this broad education training concept, and provided a platform for discussion that followed involving representatives from organiser Expocentre Moscow, the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs, and a local training institute.
Juegel advocates education and training as an integral tool for effective marketing. “Training is not only a matter of education, nor simply an offer to the young professionals of our industry,” she claims. “It is an instrument of marketing, customer relationship management [CRM] and human resources management.”
She believes training is an investment without which the long-term efficacy of fairs and exhibitions for every stakeholder are brought into question.
“The benefits include improving the service quality of our industry, where the employees are the asset of our business and where customer loyalty is another important target that can be reached by strengthening the requirements of exhibitors and visitors. But too often these benefits are underestimated,” she explains.
One major recommendation Juegel has is to focus on the benefits of in-house training and gain as much profit as possible from your investment in time and money. “Then training turns out to be an affordable luxury,” she says.
Compare this with open seminars, whereby a trainer address an audience at a conference or other such event, and a distinction occurs. In-house training benefits from some understanding of procedure and inner-workings at the company in question. A trainer at a seminar is likely to provide fresh viewpoints and offer suggestions that the audience members can then adapted to apply to their company, due to the level of separation from the subject. Sometimes a company needs fresh perspective although employees will not always engage an idea as readily without its direct application to our own company.
Exhibitor training
Another area Juegel claims training is crucial to an exhibition’s success is exhibitor training. She believes exhibitor training needs to be provided by every organiser in order for their shows to be strong vehicles for both their clients and the markets they are serving. Put simply, if training is offered, the quality of the exhibitors’ experience is likely to improve. These companies will be more effective with an increased likelihood of generating leads and subsequently they can expect a greater return on investment. And the better their return from appearing at the show, the greater the chance they’ll rebook.
“Exhibitor training must be recognised as a customer relationship management-tool, and not simply as one of the services to earn money with,” she says.
“Exhibitor training represents the perfect win-win situation. It brings quality to overall trade fairs or exhibitions by helping exhibitors gain more contacts and sales, improving return on investment.
“It also helps the organiser by nursing satisfied exhibitors and building up a strong customer relationship,” she adds.
And the benefits don’t end there, as effective exhibitor training also brings greater business opportunities to service providers.“Don’t leave the decision to your customer,” says Juegel.
Because after all, what point is there in providing the ideal environment for your exhibitors if they emerge from it with their lead book empty. Exhibitor training can do much to ensure that isn’t the case.
This was first published in the Issue 3/2012 edition of EW. Any comments? Email exhibitionworld@mashmedia.net
