{"id":39135,"date":"2020-03-26T10:54:14","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T17:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=39135"},"modified":"2020-03-26T10:54:17","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T17:54:17","slug":"hosted-events-advice-laying-foundation-for-future-deals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2020\/03\/hosted-events-advice-laying-foundation-for-future-deals\/","title":{"rendered":"Hosted Events Advice: Laying Foundation for Future Deals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the many benefits derived from hosting events is the experience one takes away from previous efforts. Planning is obviously essential, but the adage \u201cyou don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know\u201d comes into play for those initial efforts. It manifests itself in the form of attendee feedback, or even the lack thereof. Mistakes are made, they\u2019re noted, and countermeasures are implemented for the next go-around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, the dealer panelists from our state of\nthe industry report on hosted events have shared some of their lessons learned\nand nuggets of advice they would offer to those companies considering\neducational gatherings of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Bob Maxwell, KOMAX Business Systems<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Much has changed in the last 25 years when it comes to giving\ncustomers a hands-on look at equipment. Bob Maxwell, president of KOMAX\nBusiness Systems in South Charleston, West Virginia, recalls how at one time,\nit was somewhat standard practice to leave a copier at a customer\u2019s location\nfor a week or so to let them take it for a spin. That opened the door for\npotential abuse, where the client could churn out 20,000 copies and then decide\nit\u2019s not the right fit for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the beauty of a lunch-and-learn meeting or a hosted\nevent, providing a relaxed environment (not to mention food) so that clients\ncan get that hands-on experience in a controlled setting. It also sets the\nstage for an initial foray into other offerings, such as managed IT or managed\nvoice, where the client or prospect may not be in the market for it currently,\nbut puts the dealer front of mind as a future provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny time can get people to come into your office or go to a\ntech show, you have a chance to build that relationship,\u201d Maxwell said. \u201cEven\nthough technology has changed a lot over the years and the business has\nchanged, it\u2019s still about people. And they are going to buy from people that\nthey trust, people that they know, and people that they like and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Haley Grigsby, Fisher’s Technology<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the keys to assembling a quality core of presentations is to ensure that you have a fairly representative makeup of individuals. Haley Grigsby, marketing director for Fisher\u2019s Technology of Boise, Idaho, notes that this can be particularly difficult in the world of IT, which tends to be male-dominated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to pull together many different\nperspectives,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can find amazing presenters or partners that can\ndiversify your trade show and be inclusive to women and different ethnicities.\nIf you rely only on the group of people that you know, your show might not be a\ngood reflection of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Janae Spagnola-Lyons, vice president of Ohio Business\nSystems, admits the Cleveland-based dealer had its share of learning\nexperiences from the major bash it held at FirstEnergy Stadium last August.\nFrom a customer-facing perspective, it was a rousing success, with 275 clients\nand prospects enjoying a great time. The back-office viewpoint conceded that\nthere were improvements to be made from a marketing and client-targeting\nperspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis was our first year doing it, so we wanted to get as\nmany people in the door as we could,\u201d Spagnola-Lyons said. \u201cSo we made it\ngeneral and broad. But when you\u2019re having a party, you\u2019re not focusing on\nmaking a sale. That was the disheartening part of it, especially when you\u2019re\ninvesting that much money. We had some people follow up from it, but the\nfeedback was more along the lines of what a great event it was as opposed to we\nsold x-many thousands of dollars in equipment afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
John Lowery, Applied Imaging<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to planning, laying the foundation well in\nadvance of the event is paramount. Dealers need to give themselves enough time\nto send out customer surveys that will yield what content is most in demand,\nnotes President John Lowery of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Applied Imaging.\nThe key, according to Lowery, all boils down to focusing on the customer\nexperience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWill this make processes easier for the customer? Will this\nmake sense for the customer?\u201d Lowery noted. \u201cStart marketing the event early\nand tie it around a fun theme. Finally, get your vendors involved as customers\nappreciate seeing demo items that they may not typically see in a traditional\nshowroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no better teacher than experience, and New York\nCity-based Atlantic, Tomorrow\u2019s Office has it in spades with the various\niterations of its Production & Industrial Print Expo. Its events (which has\nexperienced name changes) have evolved with the targeting of different client\nsets and technology focus, with some calling for a more intimate gathering (70\ndecision makers) or a more wide-ranging roundup of 1,200 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Larry Weiss, Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As such, Atlantic, Tomorrow\u2019s Office has modified its\napproach through the years. It moved away from manual registration to online.\nIt implemented a project management team that took charge of logistics, floor\ndesign and other organizational processes. The dealer held highly-structured\nconference calls on a weekly basis, which became daily affairs in the month\u2019s\nlead-up to the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt requires a lot of detail and close attention to pull it\noff,\u201d Weiss said. \u201cThis is not for the faint of heart. Like anything else, the\nmore you do it, the better the event will be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the many benefits derived from hosting events is the experience one takes away from previous efforts. Planning is obviously essential, but the adage \u201cyou don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know\u201d comes into play for those initial efforts. It manifests itself in the form of attendee feedback, or even the lack thereof. Mistakes are made, they\u2019re noted, and countermeasures are implemented for the next go-around. With that in mind, the dealer panelists from our state of the industry report on hosted events have shared some of their lessons learned and nuggets of advice they would offer to those companies considering educational gatherings of their own. Much has changed in the last 25 years when it comes to giving customers a hands-on look at equipment. Bob Maxwell, president of KOMAX Business Systems in South Charleston, West Virginia, recalls how at one time, it was somewhat standard practice to leave a copier at a customer\u2019s location for a week or so to let them take it for a spin. That opened the door for potential abuse, where the client could churn out 20,000 copies and then decide it\u2019s not the right fit for them. This is the beauty of a lunch-and-learn meeting or a hosted event, providing a relaxed environment (not to mention food) so that clients can get that hands-on experience in a controlled setting. It also sets the stage for an initial foray into other offerings, such as managed IT or managed voice, where the client or prospect may not be in the market for it currently, but puts the dealer front of mind as a future provider. \u201cAny time can get people to come into your office or go to a tech show, you have a chance to build that relationship,\u201d Maxwell said. \u201cEven though technology has changed a lot over the years and the business has changed, it\u2019s still about people. And they are going to buy from people that they trust, people that they know, and people that they like and respect.\u201d One of the keys to assembling a quality core of presentations is to ensure that you have a fairly representative makeup of individuals. Haley Grigsby, marketing director for Fisher\u2019s Technology of Boise, Idaho, notes that this can be particularly difficult in the world of IT, which tends to be male-dominated. \u201cIt\u2019s important to pull together many different perspectives,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can find amazing presenters or partners that can diversify your trade show and be inclusive to women and different ethnicities. If you rely only on the group of people that you know, your show might not be a good reflection of the community.\u201d Janae Spagnola-Lyons, vice president of Ohio Business Systems, admits the Cleveland-based dealer had its share of learning experiences from the major bash it held at FirstEnergy Stadium last August. From a customer-facing perspective, it was a rousing success, with 275 clients and prospects enjoying a great time. The back-office viewpoint conceded that there were improvements to be made from a marketing and client-targeting perspective. \u201cThis was our first year doing it, so we wanted to get as many people in the door as we could,\u201d Spagnola-Lyons said. \u201cSo we made it general and broad. But when you\u2019re having a party, you\u2019re not focusing on making a sale. That was the disheartening part of it, especially when you\u2019re investing that much money. We had some people follow up from it, but the feedback was more along the lines of what a great event it was as opposed to we sold x-many thousands of dollars in equipment afterwards.\u201d When it comes to planning, laying the foundation well in advance of the event is paramount. Dealers need to give themselves enough time to send out customer surveys that will yield what content is most in demand, notes President John Lowery of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Applied Imaging. The key, according to Lowery, all boils down to focusing on the customer experience. \u201cWill this make processes easier for the customer? Will this make sense for the customer?\u201d Lowery noted. \u201cStart marketing the event early and tie it around a fun theme. Finally, get your vendors involved as customers appreciate seeing demo items that they may not typically see in a traditional showroom.\u201d There is no better teacher than experience, and New York City-based Atlantic, Tomorrow\u2019s Office has it in spades with the various iterations of its Production & Industrial Print Expo. Its events (which has experienced name changes) have evolved with the targeting of different client sets and technology focus, with some calling for a more intimate gathering (70 decision makers) or a more wide-ranging roundup of 1,200 people. As such, Atlantic, Tomorrow\u2019s Office has modified its approach through the years. It moved away from manual registration to online. It implemented a project management team that took charge of logistics, floor design and other organizational processes. The dealer held highly-structured conference calls on a weekly basis, which became daily affairs in the month\u2019s lead-up to the event. \u201cIt requires a lot of detail and close attention to pull it off,\u201d Weiss said. \u201cThis is not for the faint of heart. Like anything else, the more you do it, the better the event will be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":39136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[368,108,863,2016,2001],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39135"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39135"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39138,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39135\/revisions\/39138"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}