If you are in Virginia, especially in the Richmond area, the last couple of weeks we have been bombarded with the spectacle of world class professional cycling. I make no claims to be an avid cycling fan or to know much about it at all, but while it was here I casually observed. In my observation, I noticed all of the branding and that (like it always does) made me think about our industry and what parallels existed if any. Here are a few parallels I noticed design of the professional cyclist and their gear, with the design of a trade show booth:
Make it Easy to Identify
The jersey of the rider, much like the body graphic of a trade show display, highlights the brand or country and allows the spectator to quickly identify the cyclist from a distance. The cyclist spends some time in a pack with others while racing, but even when separated from that pack needs to be identified quickly and easily by those looking on before they zip by.
Similarly at the trade show, the company needs to be quickly and easily identified so that the attendee doesn’t zip by without recognizing them. They’ll want to utilize a unique booth design and/or promotion to grab attention when lined up with other inline booths, or create an unavoidable presence when separating into an island space.
Lightweight Materials Aide with Speed
There are some very advanced (and cool) bicycles being used by these professionals. The theory of course is that a lighter frame will be faster than it’s heavier counterparts. Given this, the professionals ride on carbon frames that average 2.2 lbs and have a minimum allowable weight of just under 15 lbs total for the bike.
Well, just like the cycling, the demand for lighter weight materials pushes on in the trade show industry as well. Lighter weight reduces freight, storage, material handling and labor costs. So aluminum has replaced steel, more plastic is being used and laminate panels have been exchanged for fabric.
The Person Makes the Difference
Certainly it is easy to see and understand that the most important piece to a cycling performance is the cyclist themselves. They receive the bulk of the credit for the victory and the blame for a defeat. Many of the decisions made pre-race and during the race are directed by the cyclist. With all things being basically equal, then it falls on the person to be the biggest difference.
I think the value of the people involved in a trade show booth is undersold. Just like cycling though the person themselves can be the key to success. Too often the people staffing the booth are just showing up, leaning on the company name, display and their coworkers to grind through the event. Booth staff that are aware of the goals for that specific event, engaged and passionate will dominate a show.
It was fun to have the world come to Richmond and allow us to host this once in a lifetime experience. I thank the clients that I worked with involved in this show and the UCI for making the [bike] tires turn in my head for this blog. I hope those of you local to Richmond were able to take in this experience.