Connections and Conversations

Three convention veterans share their tips for success at the annual Business Showcase.

 

Flats. Smile. Business Cards. And that’s just the start of the checklist for a successful expo.

It’s the 25th year of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase. Held in the cavernous 19,000-square-foot Columbia Expo Center, adjoining the Holiday Inn Executive Center, some local businesspeople call the March 1 event the most important day of the year.

Kicking off the day, about 600 people will attend the quarterly membership breakfast. The expo center doors will then open at 9 a.m. to welcome some 1,500 visitors, navigating their way through a festival-like atmosphere of more than 130 business booths, stopping only for the Women’s Network luncheon at 11:30.

The Chamber’s Business Showcase Committee, chaired by Greg Baker, of the Boy Scouts of America-Great Rivers Council, and Don VanMeter, of U.S. Bank, oversees the planning of the showcase to ensure exhibitors, sponsors and visitors have a fun and fruitful day.

And while the efforts of many chamber staff members and volunteers go into realizing this annual entrepreneurial homecoming, the businesses manning those 130 booths must also do their share of creative preparation.

So what makes for a successful booth? What are the dos and don’ts of showcasing? And how is success measured? Three Columbia agencies — two businesses and one nonprofit — weigh in.

 

Dave Griggs’ Flooring America

When it comes to the Business Showcase, Michele Batye is a pro. The chief financial officer for Dave Griggs’ Flooring America, Batye has planned – and manned – the booth for the store each year since she started working there in 1992. The flooring empire’s booth, which promotes its home and commercial services, has evolved through the years from elaborate to basic. For Batye, the key to success lies not in the display, but in the ability to facilitate meaningful interactions at the day-long event.

 

Finding the right mix

“The biggest thing to remember is not to bring all of your displays,” says Batye, who starts planning the company’s booth in December and has a theme developed and materials ordered by the end of January. “Some years, we’ve probably dragged in too much, and you realize there’s no place for anyone to stand.”

From the early days of the showcase, Batye remembers hauling in a labor-intensive display, and being creative — with everything from mini bamboo plant giveaways to a life-size chess board with pawns made out of flooring samples.

For the last few years, though, Batye has played with a simpler setup. The DGFA booth now features some fabric and backdrops, and pictures of businesses and homes highlighting various types of flooring. Displaying shots of flooring installations in complete, well-designed rooms helps visitors visualize how the flooring may look in their home or office.

She’s also seen success with social media. To celebrate the DGFA 40th anniversary last year, Batye launched a Facebook campaign that allowed the public to decide which of 15 local nonprofit agencies would receive a $1,000 donation. Big Brothers Big Sisters took the prize, and Batye says the social media engagement for the flooring business was outstanding.

Striking up conversation

For many homeowners and businesses, a flooring purchase represents a considerable investment that may come months or years in the future. Batye tries to find ways of welcoming visitors into the booth for a simple and genuine conversation.

“People think we just do home flooring, so we like to educate them that we are a home and commercial flooring business,” she says. “It’s really about a conversation. One year, we just had a picture of our store and some chairs to facilitate those conversations. We don’t bring chairs every year, but we want people to feel invited to come in.”

Batye also says it’s important not to wait for people to come to her. She tries to smile and say hello to every person walking by, but doesn’t push it when she senses that someone doesn’t want to be bothered.

Sage wisdom

What advice can Batye offer, after nearly a quarter-century of showcase experience?

“If you’re a business that can’t afford a booth, work it backward,” she says. “Go introduce yourself and let people know what you do, and hear what they do. It’s just a conversation.”

Her final piece of advice?

“Someone told me a long time ago: bring two pairs of shoes! Switch halfway through the day. I wear my convention shoes – flats. That’s a tip especially for the ladies,” she says with a laugh.

 

Woodhaven

Nonprofit agencies are well represented at the showcase, and why not? They provide services to people in the community and strive to increase their public awareness and engagement, just as for-profit companies do.

In 2014, Woodhaven celebrated its 50th anniversary — 50 years of serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and helping them engage with their community.

Woodhaven has participated in the showcase for the last four years, since marketing manager Liz Sensintaffar joined the team. The MU journalism grad prepares for the booth by looking at Woodhaven’s strategic plan for the year.

Thinking strategically

“We think it’s crucial to participate [in the showcase],” Sensintaffar says. “It’s definitely a part of our strategic plan. We tailor [our booth] to our message by thinking about what our goals are for the year and how the booth can fit into those goals.”

In 2014, the booth focused on creating awareness for the Building on Our Strengths capital campaign, whose goal was to raise $1.9 million to build a 4,500-square-foot health services and training building next to its Hathman Place headquarters, as well as to build a fully accessible apartment complex for some of its clients older than 50.

Spreading the word

For Sensintaffar, a successful day at the showcase comes down to making connections, which she doesn’t make through giveaways. Instead, meaningful conversations and creative social media campaigns have yielded Woodhaven’s exciting results.

“I try to be very intentional about what email addresses I collect at the booth. I try to engage and talk to people and give them the opportunity to sign up, instead of a having a bowl for business cards,” she says. “I don’t want to spam anyone with our emails.”

Sensintaffar thinks globally about social media. At one showcase, Sensintaffar used social media to align Woodhaven with the national “Spread the Word to End the Word” day of awareness, which falls near the showcase each year. Supported by Special Olympics, the campaign seeks to end the use of the derogatory word “retard.”

Sensintaffar created pledge signs so booth visitors could take a picture with the sign, and then she posted the pictures to the Woodhaven Facebook page, tagging the visitor’s business. Sensintaffar says the social media campaign was a hit, and some individuals used the images for their profile pictures.

Looking ahead

Sensintaffar looks to create a booth that is light-hearted and interactive. So, what’s in store for this year? It’s a secret, she says, but it will be in line with the nonprofit’s 2016 goals.

“This year we’re focusing on language, which is similar to something we’ve done in the past,” she hints. “Get ready to be creative.”

After a few years of participating in the showcase, Sensintaffar offers sound advice.

“Don’t do the showcase because you feel you have to do it,” she says. “Do it because it ties into your goals and strategy. Have purpose and you’ll be more successful. You’ll know why you’re there and what conversations to have, and it’ll make talking to strangers easier.”

Smart Business Products

In 1983, a few years after graduating from Truman State University, Bill Schuette unexpectedly found himself going into business with his father. Schuette and his wife, Kathy, moved from St. Louis to Columbia to join forces with Columbia Office Supply. Fast forward to 1999, when Schuette renamed the business, still at its original Vandiver location, to Smart Business Products, which now offers more than 50,000 office supply products and furnishings for every setting.

Simple, Unique, Memorable

There have been only a few years in which SBP hasn’t participated in the showcase, and Schuette has vivid memories of the two-day expo at Mizzou’s field house that eventually evolved into the current, daylong platform. In those days, he and his team dazzled crowds with full cubicle sets spanning three or four booths.

Now, Schuette’s philosophy is to keep it simple, unique and memorable. Simply put: office chairs.

“It seems like when we bring chairs, they’re a big hit,” he says. “We try to bring something that’s really unique and gives people a reason to stop. It’s about trying something fun. People interact with the chairs and test drive them.”

Schuette notes that being able to touch and feel the office chairs is more effective than looking at them in a catalog, and a chair will spark interest in other, larger products. Plus, rolling the chairs in and out makes for easy set-up and tear-down.

Toying with social media

How much planning can a few office chairs take?

Schuette starts planning his booth in January by putting the showcase on his calendar and working backward, beginning with the end in mind. He considers a theme, decides on handouts and promotional items, and examines a list of interesting products he and his team compile throughout the year.

He also pulls in Hayley Batterson, his marketing and sales manager, who handles social media. Her motto for social media is to, like the booth, keep it simple and unique.

While she has the most success with email marketing, she also uses Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to promote SBP’s participation in the booth. She’s toying with the idea of using social media to promote a pre-expo contest for 2016, such as a coloring contest, that will encourage participants to visit the booth.

Tips of the trade

Keeping it simple and unique is great advice, but cool office chairs alone do not make a booth. For Schuette, the right staffing can elevate the experience.

“We’ve had manufacturer’s reps staff the booth,” he says. “If your business works with a sales rep or product specialist who knows a lot, that can be very helpful. You want someone who is personable and has enthusiasm.”

Schuette is also a strong believer in coordinated team apparel.

“Matching apparel is helpful for people to identify who is from the company versus who is a visitor. It looks professional and is inexpensive, and when you’re visiting other booths, people will know who you are,” he says.

Finally, bring your enthusiasm – and your business cards.

“There’s nothing worse than walking by a booth, and you’re on your phone or texting or on your email,” he says. “That says ‘Don’t come into my booth.’ And always bring business cards with your email and cell phone, even if it’s a print-it-yourself kind.”

 

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